Berende, Sofia Province

Berende (Bulgarian: Беренде, pronounced [bɛrɛnˈdɛ]) is a village in Dragoman Municipality, Sofia Province, in the westernmost part of Bulgaria near the border with Serbia.

Berende Беренде
The 14th-century Church of St Peter in Berende
Berende Berende
Coordinates: 42°58′59″N 22°55′1″E
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Sofia
Government
• Mayor	Lidia Bozhilova (Kalotina)
Population  (2011)
• Total	33
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code	2212
Area code(s)	07172

Berende is located in the western reaches of the Balkan Mountains, not far from the banks of the Nishava River. The distance to the national capital Sofia is 52 km (32 mi). Nearby towns are Godech and the municipal centre Dragoman, both 10 km (6.2 mi) away.[1] In 1985, Berende had 79 residents;[2] in 2011, its population had dwindled to 33.[3]

According to linguist Anna Choleva–Dimitrova, the toponym Berende stems from the Pecheneg tribe of the Berendei. The Berendei are known to have settled in various parts of the Balkans around the 10th–12th century.[4]

The village has a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church, the Church of St Peter, which features rich 14th-century interior frescoes. It is located 800 metres (2,600 feet) west of the village, near the Nishava.[5] Today, the churches lies in the village's old graveyard. Not far from the church on the way linking it to the village is Mosta (Моста, “The Bridge”), a natural bridge rock formation.[6]

References

1. "Village of Berende". Guide Bulgaria. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
2. Мичев, Николай; Коледаров, Петър (1989). Речник на селищата и селищните имена в България 1878–1987 [Dictionary of settlements and settlement names in Bulgaria 1878–1987] (in Bulgarian). София: Наука и изкуство. p. 37.
3. "Таблица на населението по постоянен и настоящ адрес" [Table of population by permanent and current address] (in Bulgarian). ГРАО. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
4. Чолева-Димитрова, Анна М. (2002). Селищни имена от Югозападна България: Изследване. Речник [Settlement names from Southwestern Bulgaria: A Study. A Dictionary] (in Bulgarian). София: Пенсофт. p. 98. ISBN 954-642-168-5. OCLC 57603720.
5. Николова, Бистра (2002). Православните църкви през Българското средновековие IX–XIV в. [The Orthodox churches during the Bulgarian Middle Ages 9th–14th century] (in Bulgarian). София: Академично издателство "Марин Дринов". pp. 79–82. ISBN 954-430-762-1.
6. "Църквата "Св. Петър" в Беренде (14 в.)" [The Church of St Peter in Berende (14th c.)]. Наследството на Понишавието (in Bulgarian). Балкански младежки клуб. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2011.