Everything about Asenova Krepost totally explained
Asenova krepost ("
Asen's Fortress") is a medieval fortress in the
Bulgarian
Rhodope Mountains, 2-3 km south of the town of
Asenovgrad, on a high rocky ridge on the left bank of the
Asenitsa River.
The earliest archaeological findings date from the time of the
Thracians, the area of the fortress being also inhabited during the
Ancient Roman and
Early Byzantine period. The fortress gained importance in the
Middle Ages, first mentioned in the statute of the
Bachkovo Monastery as
Petrich (Петрич) in the 11th century. The fortress was conquered by the armies of the
Third Crusade.
It was considerably renovated in the 13th century (more precisely 1231) during the rule of
Bulgarian tsar Ivan Asen II to serve as a border fortification against
Latin raids, as evidenced by an eight-line wall inscription. The foundations of fortified walls (the outer ones being 2.9 m thick and preserved up to a height of 3 m, originally 9 - 12 m high), a feudal castle, 30 rooms and 3 water repositories have been excavated from this period.
The best preserved and most notable feature of Asenova krepost is the Holy
Theotokos of Petrich Church from the 12th-13th century. It is a two-storey cross-domed single-naved building with a wide
narthex and a large rectangular tower, and features mural paintings from the 14th century. The conservation and partial restoration works on the church were finished in 1991 (the whole fortress was left to decay after the
Ottoman conquest in the 14th century and only the church remained standing in its original appearance as it was used by the local Christians) and now it's in regular use as a
Bulgarian Orthodox church.
Taken by the Byzantines after Ivan Asen II's death, the fortress was once again in Bulgarian hands at the time of
Ivan Alexander in 1344 only to be conquered and destroyed by the Ottomans during their
rule of Bulgaria.
The town of
Asenovgrad takes its modern name from the fortress, formerly being named
Stanimaka.
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