Lead Seals from a Newly Discovered Monastery Complex in Sozopol

In the spring of 2024, on the site planned for a new bus station in Sozopol the foundations of a single-nave church with a narthex from the 12th–13th centuries were discovered, with fragments of masterful frescoes, a multi-layered Christian necropolis, as well as the remains of a monastery complex and ritual pits. At these very ritual pits four Byzantine lead seals from the 11th–12th centuries were also discovered. The excavations continue into 2025. To date, nearly 30 lead seals have been documented from Sozopol with chronological boundaries from the middle of the 9th century to the beginning of the 12th century. The largest amount of correspondence received in Sozopol was in the last quarter of the 11th century. Ivan Jordanov comes to the conclusion that the correspondence received here is more of a private nature. Prominent individuals who were the recipients of this correspondence resided in Sozopol as private individuals. Jordanov draws the same conclusions for other settlements located near or on the coast itself, such as Thermopolis, for example. These centers should be viewed more as military units along the defensive line Messemvria – Beroe – Philippopolis – Triaditsa – Niš, which arose in the third quarter of the 11th century. It was created after the defensive line along the Danube Limes was overcome by the barbarians and the Byzantine garrisons were dislocated from present-day Northern Bulgaria, south of the Balkan Mountains