- Kalotina
Kalotina ( _bg. Калотина) is a village in Dragoman municipality,
Sofia Province , in westernmost centralBulgaria . As of 2005 it has 282 inhabitants and the mayor is Mariya Naydenova. The village is located at the border withSerbia , 55 km to the northwest of the capitalSofia , on the main highway and railway betweenWestern Europe andAsia . Kalotina lies at coord|42|59|N|22|52|E, 282 metres above sea level. Kalotina is known for the Kalotina-Gradinjeborder checkpoint , one of Bulgaria's busiest and best-known due to the proximity to Sofia. TheNishava river, a tributary of theSouth Morava , flows nearby.The village was first mentioned in 1453 with its present name. In a 1576 source, it was referred to as "Kalotine". Kalotina's name is the feminine form of an adjective derived from the
personal name Kalota (Калота); it is an ellipse, as no noun is part of the name. [cite book|last=Чолева-Димитрова|first=Анна М.|title=Селищни имена от Югозападна България: Изследване. Речник|publisher=Пенсофт|location=София|date=2002|isbn=9546421685|oclc=57603720|language=Bulgarian|pages=p. 129]The village has a medieval
Bulgarian Orthodox church dedicated toSaint Nicholas built in the 14th century, during the rule ofIvan Alexander of Bulgaria (as indicated by an inscription in the church). It was richly decorated with murals, although they have been badly preserved. The church donors are thought to have been Deyan and Vladislava from the church inKučevište , and the church was likely built between 1331 and 1334/7. [cite book |last=Николова |first=Бистра |title=Православните църкви през Българското средновековие IX–XIV в. |year=2002 |isbn=954-430-762-1 |publisher=Академично издателство "Марин Дринов" |language=Bulgarian |location=София ]References
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