Krastova Gora, Architectural ensemble in Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria
Krastova Gora is a religious complex in the Rhodope Mountains, located at about 1,545 meters above sea level on an open meadow surrounded by dense forest. The complex includes a church and several small chapels connected by a path across the mountain slope.
The church was built in the 1930s and received a large metal cross as a gift from Bulgarian Tsar Boris III in 1936. The complex developed into an important pilgrimage site in the region after World War II.
The site takes its name from a large cross standing on the mountain meadow, visited by pilgrims from across the region. Visitors follow a path leading to twelve small chapels distributed along the forested slope.
The site is located about 60 kilometers from Plovdiv and can be reached via mountain roads that are sometimes closed in winter. Accommodations are available for visitors who wish to stay for several days.
The metal cross weighs about 99 kilograms and is designed to sway gently in the wind. Thousands of believers gather here each year on September 13 for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
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