Legends say that one of the sanctuaries of ancient Greek god of medicine Asclepius is situated in South Bulgaria, in the village of Patalenitsa near the town of Pazardzhik. It was established back in 1955, when two neighboring villages united. Its population now is 1,284.
Nikola Kolev, head of the local Konstantin Velichkov School explains that the village is situated only 15 km away from the district town of Pazardzhik and this influences the life of people here. Some of them work in the town, but others are victims of unemployment and struggle to make a living with the small pieces of farmland they cultivate.
“There are many ancient ruins that prove the existence of interesting life as early as Thracian and Roman times,” Nikola Kolev says. “The ancient settlement resembled Greek towns, with the temple of Apollo that existed here, for instance. The place lost its significance gradually after the establishment of Pazardzhik in 1485. One of the guesses on Patalenitsa’s name is from the Bulgaria word pat /road/. Others say that in the middle ages it took its name from the St. Pantaleon Church.”
There are many historical landmarks in Patalenitsa. The St. Demetrius Church was built back in the 12 c. and is declared a national monument of culture. Its Renaissance murals are currently being restored. The temple is not open for visits yet, but they can always unlock it for the most impatient tourists. The St. St. Peter and Paul Monastery is situated near the village and a 500-year-old vine can be seen in its yard. There is a spectacular view from the monastery to the plain. The sanctuary of Asclepius, dated back to the 1-4 c. can be seen nearby. However, the remains are hardly spotted, especially in summer, when those are covered with green. Only a wall has remained from the great and mighty medieval fortress of Batkunion. 19 Thracian mounds, church and fortress wall remains can be seen in the neighboring village of Debrashtitsa. A road leads from there to the magnificent mountainous resorts of St. Konstantin and Tsigov Chark. The village of Varvara, famous with its mineral healing springs is situated only 6 km away from Patalenitsa.
Nikola Kolev gives us more details on everyday life in Patalenitsa:
“We face unemployment difficulties, just like the rest of the Bulgarians, but the district town nearby saves us to some extent. The unemployment rate here is 14 percent. Only the school and the stores provide jobs to people here. Many emigrated abroad. Agriculture, farm animals – this is what we live from – goats, sheep, horses, donkeys… There were lots of tobacco areas, but those were reduced quite a lot recently.”
People from Patalensti opt mainly for Spain and Great Britain for emigration. There are serious communities of our people in both Spain and London, Mr. Kolev says. Those celebrate St. George’s Day and other big holidays abroad too. The opposite process, however, is available too – a British family has bought a house here. Nikola Kolev sees opportunities for the future of the village in tourism.
“This is a really attractive tourist destination due to the climate,” he goes on to say. “We have both a plain and a mountain. The place has excellent conditions for development of rural mountainous tourism. Unfortunately no tourist routes and paths have been developed yet in the area, but locals have the ambition to make it happen as soon as possible. There is a hotel here and another one, a family hotel is being prepared. There are excellent tourist attractions and people here are really friendly,” Nikola Kolev says in conclusion.
English version: Zhivko Stanchev
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