Bulgaria castles >> Tsepina fortress
Tsepina fortress
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It is situated 6 km from the village of Dorkovo in the Pazardzhik district and is one of the most famous Rhodopean fortresses. It is located in the northeastern part of the Chepina valley and is built on a high and rocky peak at an altitude above sea-level of 1,136 m. In 12-13 century Tsepina was a big medieval fortress town. The outer fortified walls cover a total area of 25 decares with irregular tetragon shape. A citadel was built in its highest part, covering an area of 1.5 decares. The Byzantine emperor Teodor II Laskaris described Tsepina as “the most fortified, generally the most inaccessible and absolutely impregnable.”
Three churches and four very well preserved water storage basins are studied in the fortified territory. The two altar bas-relieves of the apostles Peter and Paul, exhibited in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, are from one of the churches.
Three churches and four very well preserved water storage basins are studied in the fortified territory. The two altar bas-relieves of the apostles Peter and Paul, exhibited in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, are from one of the churches.
