Burgas Bay is the largest on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. 41 km wide with black sand, due to the high content of iron, manganese and magnesium, the bay is also the westernmost part of the Black Sea. The earliest human presence on the island is attested during the era of Late Antiquity (IV-VI century). Proof of this is the abundant ceramic material discovered during the underwater research conducted in 1973. The monastery "St. Anastasia Pharmacolitria (Healer)" is the only island monastery in Bulgaria, part of which has been preserved to this day. In the Middle Ages, there were such holy refuges on the Sozopol islands of Saint Ivan, Saint Kirik and Julita and on the island of Saint Thomas, but now there are only archaeological remains of them. The church monastery existed until 1923, when the monastery was turned into a prison. 132 communists and farmers were exiled there. The difficult maintenance of the island prison forced the government to transfer the prisoners to the Burgas police station, and some of them were released. The lighthouse on the island was built by a French company in 1889. It was mounted on an iron pole raised 40 meters above sea level and in good weather its light could be seen from 10 miles. In 1912, in the northern part of the island, the foundations were laid for the new lighthouse, which guides ships to this day. St. Anastasia Pharmacolitria is among the few female martyrs revered with great zeal and love by both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
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