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© Julia Lazarova
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a medieval church, said to date from some time in the 12th to 14th centuries, and the front gate of the ancient city on the location of today's Sozopol, on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

The north wall and the apse of the church are just metres from the ancient fortress in the city, Bulgarian National Television said. The church is near today's St Cyril and Methodius church, which houses what are purported to be relics of John the Baptist, found on St Ivan island off the coast of Sozopol in summer 2010.

The walls of the medieval church were close to 12 metres long, about 70cm thick and with an estimated height of between three and four metres.

The site was inspected by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov and National History Museum director Bozhidar Dimitrov. Dimitrov said that he had negotiated the participation of French archaeologists in excavations in Sozopol in summer 2012.