St. Ivan Island

St. Ivan Island (Bulgarian: остров св. Иван, ostrov sv. Ivan) is the largest Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, with an area of 0.66 square kilometres (0.25 square miles). It lies off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast near Sozopol, a town with rich history and a popular tourist place, and is separated by a strait several hundred metres long from the small neighbouring St. Peter Island. Standing at 33 metres (108 feet) above sea level, it is also the highest of the Bulgarian sea islands. It lies 920 metres (0.57 miles) from the Stolets peninsula, the location of Sozopol's Old Town.

Around the 7th-4th century BC, the island was populated by Thracians. After Sozopol (Apollonia) was conquered by the Romans in 72 BC, a lighthouse was built on the island. Next to the Thracian sanctuary, the locals built a temple of Apollo featuring a bronze statue by Calamis standing 13.2 metres (43 ft) in height, making it easy to see from the city. A complex of buildings was constructed around the temple in the southeastern part of the island, including health stations, inns, etc.

After the conversion to Christianity, a monastical complex was built in the 5th-6th century on top of the ruins of the old Roman temple, including the Basilica of the Mother of God. Towards the 7th-9th century, the basilica was abandoned only to be reconstructed in the 10th century. The Monastery of John the Forerunner and the Baptist grew into an important centre of Christianity in the region; the buildings of the monastery and the church were reconstructed in 1262-1310. Archaeological research was carried out after 1985 for a couple of years, so today the remains of two churches, a royal residence, a library, part of the fortified wall with the gate and several monastic cells can be seen. The monastery was a stauropegic monastery of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and two former patriarchs may have been buried there after being sent into exile.

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