The cave temple Aladzha Monastery is situated only a few kilometres from the sea resorts Riviera and Golden Sands and is part of the National Park “Golden sands”. The distance to Varna is 16 km.
The name of Aladzha Monastery comes from the Turkish word for “versicoloured”, “motley” /”aladzha”/, probably because of the bright colours of the mural paintings dating back to the early Middle Ages. The details of the early history of the monastery are quite limited and insecure. According to historians, primitive monk cells were built and populated as early as the 4-th century. Information from old Christian writers points out that Christianity was spread in the vicinity of Odesos as early as the second half of the I-st century. Referring to such sources, some authors believe that Christians were able to perform their religious rites undisturbed in those hidden cave premises. The first archaeological materials refer to the early Byzantian epoch – coins from the time of Constantine (4-th century) and Justinian (5-th century), along with several ceramic pieces found during the clearing of the embankment in front of the cave. These scarce materials do not yet provide sufficient grounds to state that the monastery existed at that time. Most probably, the caves were used for dwelling of the poor population or for shelter during barbaric raids – living in such cave premises was typical for the coastline of Northeastern Bulgaria. It has been proved that the monastery acquired its finished form in the 12-th century.
The monks’ cells, the common premises and the chapels, carved directly into the limestone rocks and located on two levels above the ground, are connected by an external staircase. The lower floor housed the rooms of the monks, the common areas (kitchen, living room) and a small church, while the upper floor was entirely dedicated to the chapel. Unfortunately, today only a small part of the frescoes of that time has been preserved (most of them are in the chapel), but the feeling of visiting a monastery dug into the sheer cliffs high above the ground is unforgettable. Aladzha Monastery has been proclaimed a monument of culture. A small museum has been established in its courtyard. Several hundred meters away, a similar monastery complex is situated, named the “Catacombs”. It has a similar history and architecture but its preserved remains are far fewer.