Nonlinear interaction of coherent intensive optical radiation with continuous resonant photonic crystal (RPC) is analytically and numerically studied in the framework of semiclassical approach using the two-wave Maxwell-Bloch equations. The analytical solution being the gap soliton of self-induced transparency is obtained in the case of an initially unexcited continuous RPC. This solution is confirmed numerically. Influence of both initial inversion and resonant atom concentration function

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... le on the pulse dynamics in continuous RPC is analyzed. Suppression of the Bragg reflection and a "quasi-linear" 2π pulse propagation in the case of zero initial inversion in continuous RPC is shown. The possibility of laser pulse compression using slow spatial changing of resonant atom concentration is demonstrated.