CITY INFORMATION
Saint Vlas is located at the foot of the southern slopes of the Balkan Mountains, near the Black Sea coast. It is 12 km from the historic town of Nessebar. Saint Vlas occupies the northern part of the bay, near which is Sunny Beach and the holiday village Elenite, and Bourgas is located 40 km south.
Although small, the city has a rich and long history. The first settlement in the area was founded by the ancient Thracians. Later, during the Hellenistic period, around the 2nd century BC, with the settlement of Greek colonists, the settlement was called Larissa. This name was found until the fourteenth century, when he adopted the name Saint Vlas – patron saint of merchants, breeder and healer. The new name of the settlement was associated with the large and famous Stauropegial monastery “St. Vlasiy ”, who was directly subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It lasted until the 18th century, when it was burnt down by countless pirate raids at the time. A similar fate befell the other four monasteries located in the vicinity of the village: “St. Peter “,” St. Elijah “,” St. Andrew ”and the maiden“ St. Ana. Individual remains of these monasteries can be seen today.
During the years of Turkish slavery (XIV – XIX century) several names of the village are known and all are related to the monasteries. The Turks called it Kyuchyuk Monastery, and in the Ottoman tax registers it is recorded as the village “Monastery”.
After the liberation from Turkish slavery, when Eastern Rumelia was annexed to the Bulgarian principality, the name of the settlement was changed to Saint Vlas. For centuries and until 1920, the local population was predominantly Greek. In the early 1920s, local Greeks emigrated to Western Thrace, handed over to Greece in 1919, and in particular to the village of Chadarli, renamed Streami in 1920 (now in the municipality of Sapes, Rhodope region). Less than 10 Greek families remained living in Sveti Vlas after 1920. After the wars of 1912-1918, 79 Bulgarian families from Thessaloniki, 29 from Gyumri, 20 Bulgarian families from Asia Minor from the village of Yenikoy and from other parts of Bulgaria. In 1963 Vlas was declared a climatic seaside resort. The microclimate here is favorable for the treatment of lung diseases.
In 2006 the village of Sveti Vlas acquired the status of a town by a decision of the Council of Ministers.
In 2007 the largest yacht port in Bulgaria was opened in Sveti Vlas, with a capacity of 300 yachts.
The beach of Saint Vlas faces south. The sand is fine and golden. A unique combination of clean mountain air, sea climate and beautiful nature. Saint Vlas is a favorite vacation spot for many Bulgarians and foreigners. Summer days are characterized by a quiet morning and a relatively cool afternoon. Long, warm and quiet autumn. In recent years, temperatures of 15 degrees have been observed in mid-December.
