Sozopol is the most ancient town on Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The first settlement on the site dates back to the Bronze Age. Undersea explorations reveal relics of dwellings, ceramic pottery, stone and bone tools and anchors from the second and first millenium BC which proved that a busy town of active shipping existed here since ancient times.	In the year 610 B.C., Greek colonists from Miletus settled on the nowadays Sozopol peninsula and founded the town of Apollonia Pontica. Apollonia was the largest and richest town along the Black Sea coast. It was a major trade and cultural center.
The rich history and culture of the town are poven by many archeological relics of fortification walls, necropolis, public buildings and artworks dated back to the Antiquity and Middle Ages. Here are the Church of Holy Virgin from the 7th C. which is put under registers of UNESCO and the St. Zosim Chapel which is dated back to the 9th C. The unique architecture of the Old Town is charachterized by steep narrow cobblestone lanes, and housing architecture from the National Revival period - with stone walls and spacious porches. Part of the Southern Fortification wall of the ancient town of Apollonia is peserved in the Old Town. The fortress was built back in 5th C. from limestone quadres. Its walls have been destroyed by the Romans but were soon restored by the local people.
	Vis-a-vis to the Old Town there are three islands - St. Cyricus, St. Ivan and St. Peter. On the biggest of them - St. Ivan the most interesting and significant archeological finding for the last couple of years was found. Under the altar of a ruined basilica archeologists found a small box with remains of the John the Baptist in it, known also as St.John the Precursor who has announced the coming of the Jesus and then baptized him. The relics of the Saint were in the altar area of an old monastery complex which had existed for 12 centuries and was abandoned by the monks in 1620.
Sts. Cyril and Metodius church opened its doors after nearly 70 years of oblivion to accomodate part of the relics of the Saint John the Baptist. With this discovery, Sozopol emerged as the scond Jerusalem and, besides being popular sea resort, it rapidly evolves into attractive pilgrimage center. As a host for the annual Art and film festival Apollonia, once a year Sozopol becomes a magical place full of artistic spirit and unforgettable atmosphere.
	Sozopol - a name that earned permanently one of the highest places in the ranking for The best holiday on the Southern Black Sea coast. Not only for the town itself or for the art festival "Apollonia" alone, but for its magnificent natural landmarks such as those small places of paradise that are the nearby gulfs and the large beaches, the remarkable natural and histoical and cultural landmarks, the town always remains as a wonderful memory of a unique experience.