The third temple from the time of the first settlers in Apollonia was discovered by the team of Professor Krastina Panayotova during excavations on the island of “St. Kirik and Iulita” in Sozopol. The first temple that was found there was the god Apollo. There are historical sources that confirm that there was also a 13-meter statue of Apollo the Healer – the patron of the city. Vessels were found at the site, left as gifts in the temple, on which his name was written. In 72 BC the Roman general Marcus Lucullus stormed Apollonia and brought the statue to Rome as a prized trophy.
According to Assoc.
The third temple found on the island may now be a goddess, as a hand from a statue that looks like a woman was found there. Archaeologists hope to discover the secret during the excavation.
All three temples are from the end of the 6th – the beginning of the 5th century BC. Mr. According to Krastina Panayotova, they were built side by side within 50 years and there are no analogues in our land.
The island has been a holy place since then, until the beginning of the 20th century, says Prof. Panayotova. An early Christian basilica was also built there – the first in the city, around which there was also a necropolis.
According to known historical sources, there was also a monastery “St. Cyric and Iulita’. Archaeologists have also started working on another church, and a famous historian of the past also mentions the “small church” “St. Paraskeva”, which existed until the beginning of the 20th century.
Professor Krastina Panayotova is sure that the island of “St. Cyric and Iulita has been a sacred place to worship and connect with the gods of the inhabitants of Apollonia and Sosopolis since they came to these places.
