St. Anastasia Island
Encyclopedia
St. Anastasia Island is a Bulgaria
n islet
in the Black Sea
. It is located 1.5 km off the coast near Chernomorets
, at 12 metres above sea level, and embraces a territory of 0.022 km². It is the only inhabited island off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
.
The island is supplied with electricity and drinking water. It is named after the former St. Anastasia convent located on it. The convent had existed since the Middle Ages
and was reconstructed during the 18th-19th century. which has been abandoned since 1923, when the island was transformed into a prison.
In 1925, a group of 43 political prisoners (communists and anti-fascists), led by Teohar Bakardzhiev, revolted and escaped from the island, subsequently fleeing to the Soviet Union
. In their honor, the island was renamed Bolshevik Island when the communists came into power in 1945. Bulgarian film director Rangel Valchanov based his 1958 film On The Small Island on this event.
Today, there is a lighthouse
situated on the island, as well as a pub, a small quay and several buildings to accommodate tourists.
A Bulgarian Burgas
-based weekly newspaper, Factor, reported in 2006 that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
leader, Ahmed Dogan
, visited the island and expressed desire to privatize it. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church
, however, which claims the island is its property, would hear none of this.
Is at the triangulated points of Budapest, Hungary and Patara, Turkey.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n islet
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. It is located 1.5 km off the coast near Chernomorets
Chernomorets
Chernomorets is a town on the Black Sea coast of southeastern Bulgaria. Administratively part of Sozopol Municipality, Burgas Province, Chernomorets is a popular seaside resort....
, at 12 metres above sea level, and embraces a territory of 0.022 km². It is the only inhabited island off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria stretching from the Romanian Black Sea resorts in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of coastline. White and golden sandy beaches occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast...
.
The island is supplied with electricity and drinking water. It is named after the former St. Anastasia convent located on it. The convent had existed since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and was reconstructed during the 18th-19th century. which has been abandoned since 1923, when the island was transformed into a prison.
In 1925, a group of 43 political prisoners (communists and anti-fascists), led by Teohar Bakardzhiev, revolted and escaped from the island, subsequently fleeing to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In their honor, the island was renamed Bolshevik Island when the communists came into power in 1945. Bulgarian film director Rangel Valchanov based his 1958 film On The Small Island on this event.
Today, there is a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
situated on the island, as well as a pub, a small quay and several buildings to accommodate tourists.
A Bulgarian Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
-based weekly newspaper, Factor, reported in 2006 that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
Movement for Rights and Freedoms
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms is an ethnic Turkish party in Bulgaria. The MRF is a member of the Liberal International and considers itself a liberal party, rather like the Swedish People's Party - party of the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland...
leader, Ahmed Dogan
Ahmed Dogan
Ahmed Demir Dogan is a Bulgarian politician.- Biography :He is the founder and leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms , a liberal party that represents the interests of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria...
, visited the island and expressed desire to privatize it. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
, however, which claims the island is its property, would hear none of this.
Is at the triangulated points of Budapest, Hungary and Patara, Turkey.