Krastova Gora

Krastova Gora, in the central Rhodope Mountains sixty kilometres from Plovdiv, is one of Bulgaria's largest Christian sanctuaries. This magical place, attracting many pilgrims, lies at an elevation of 1,545 metres in a broad meadow surrounded by beautiful woodland.
The great interest in Krastova Gora stems from the tradition that a fragment of Christ's Cross is buried here. Legends associated with this holy place tell of miraculous healing and inspire believers. The complex includes the Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God, completed in 1995, and chapels dedicated to the twelve apostles along an avenue leading to the summit of a small hill.
In 1936 Tsar Boris III donated a large metal cross weighing ninety-nine kilograms; a copy now stands in the same place. People believe in the cross's miraculous power, which they say has a healing effect, particularly near a spring traditionally regarded as curative.
The greatest number of pilgrims visits on the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, 14 September. On 13 September thousands of believers gather to pray for health, spending the night in vigil before the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God or in one of the chapels.