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Regional tourist association Stara Planina 9, Opalchenska Street 5300 Gabrovo, Bulgaria tel: +359 66/ 807 137 fax: +359 66/ 809 161 e-mails: |
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In the epoch of Bulgarian National Revival, monasteries used to be fortresses of spiritual life. They kept samples of medieval literature. Painters and wood-carvers developed their mastership and created images, which call for admiration even today.
One of the most impressive Monuments of Culture and Arts in Bulgaria is the Troyan Monastery of Sveta Bogoroditsa (Holy Mother), the third biggest in the country. Abbot Kalistrat founded it in 1600, 10 km away from Troyan. High stone walls and three-storey buildings with spacious wooden terraces and big yard in the middle give the monastery the mysterious and impressive look of a medieval castle. Only the throne stone is preserved from the first monastery church.
Today's cross-dome church was built of stone in 1835. It is a masterpiece containing precious murals from Zahari Zograf - non-traditional compositions and images of Bulgarian and Orthodox saints (the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, St. Ivan Rilski, St. St. Boris and Gleb, Teodosiy of Tarnovo, Patriarch Evtimiy). Specialists claim the best one to be the self-portrait of the artist. Masters from the Tryavna Wood-Carving School have created a magnificence of ornaments on the altar gates and in the chapel of Sveti Nikolay (1794) near the monastery.Ever since the beginning of Bulgarian National Revival, the Troyan Monastery had been a spiritual center. The monastery literary history takes pride in the literate monks and the cell school opened in 1765. Here, in 1872, Levski founded a Revolutionary Committee lead by Abbot Makariy. The cell used by Levski during his visits to the monastery is today a small museum dedicated to him.
The church and monastery museum keep old samples of applied arts and icons from the 17th to 19th century. The most famous among these is the miraculous icon of Sveta Bogoroditsa Troeruchitsa.
There is no other place so picturesque in location as the Glozhene Monastery. Perched on top of the high vertical rocks of the Lisets massif, it looks like a fairy-tale castle. From up above, there is a magnificent view of the Vit River curving down below, and of Glozhene village. Legend tells that the Russian Knyaz Georgiy Glozh, who fled here from Tatars, founded the monastery during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (13th century). With the permission of Tsar Ivan Assen II, the Knyaz founded a settlement, Glozhene, and built the monastery of Sveto Preobrazhenie. Construction was non-durable; the miraculous icon of St. George disappeared. Later on, they found it on top of the rocks and thus - by the will of God - built another monastery, the Glozhene Monastery of Sveti Georgi Pobedonosets.
In the years of Ottoman rule it faded but during National Revival it became a literature and educational center, as well as the refuge of leaders of national liberation movements, among them - the Apostle of Bulgarian freedom Vassil Levski.
After Liberation, it continued to be a spiritual center. In 1893 Turnovo Metropolitan Kliment (famous Revival writer Vasil Drumev) was sent here into exile. Metropolitan Kliment has spent in the monastery the heaviest days in his life only because he had a speech in defence of the Orthodoxy and against the Catholicism in Bulgaria. Now the room of Kliment is turned into a small museum.
The Monastery kept the miraculous icon of Sveti Georgi Pobedonosets and the Kiev-Pechor Gospel from 1745. The earthquakes from 1904 and 1913 caused damage to the old church. A new one was erected in 1931. Icons, however, come from the National Revival Period and are the work of famous Revival painters such as Zahari Zograf, Stanislav Dospevski and Yoan Popovich.
Today "Sveti Georgi Pobedonosets" (St George the Victor) is a functioning male monastery.
The Monastery of Sveti Prorok Ilija (St. Prophet Elijah) by Teteven has been educational and spiritual center since 17th century. According to the legends the monastery was founded in 14th century. In 18th century there was a cell school and a big library with many old books and chronicles in the monastery.At the end of 18th century the monastery was burned out and plundered. The only building that survived was the monastery church. This extremely valued monument of architecture could be visited even today. The church was reconstructed in 1869. The preserved icons are masterpieces of the revival period. Among the artists, who painted the icons one could see the name of Ivan Dospevski - brother of the great revival artist - painter Stanislav Dospevski. Masters - woodcarvers from Teteven made the iconostasis in 19th century.
The Novoselski Maid Monastery of Sveta Troitsa, built in 1830 in Novo Selo village (today one of the quarters of Apriltsi) is associated with the heroic events from the time of April Rebellion in 1976. First inhabitants of the Monastery were 40 nuns from the surrounding villages.
The monastery chapel of Sveti Ivan Rilski was built during the same year. In the next year, the first printed Gospel was brought here from the Rila Monastery.On May 2, 1876, the villages from the area joined the April Rebellion. After its cruel suppression, the village and the monastery were burnt down. After the Liberation buildings of the monastery were restored with the donations of local population. In 1890 a church was erected in the yard of the monastery, while the chapel was turned into a charnel in the memory of the victims from the April Revolt.
20 km. South of Sevlievo, on the road to Apriltsi, stands one of the oldest holy places of the region - the Batoshevo Male Monastery of Uspenie na Presveta Bogoroditsa (Assumption). Turnovo Patriarch founded it in 13th Century, during the reign of Tzar Mihail II Assen (1246 - 1256). A stone inscription tells about the building of the monastery. Burnt to the ground during Ottoman invasion, the monastery was re-erected in 1835 and became an educational center with a secular school.Woodcarvings in the church are the work of masters from Novo Selo, while the great National Revival artist Stanislav Dospevski painted the icons. The monastery church is outstanding monument of Renaissance architecture. Iconostasis is a masterpiece of the Tryavna Wood-Carving School. Monks have preserved to date a number of precious books and the monastery Kondika (chronicles). Today it is a functioning male monastery.
Only a few km. away, in the village of Batoshevo is Vavedenie Bogorodichno Monastery. The functioning female monastery was founded in 17th century.Dryanovo Monastery of Sveti Archangel Mihail is a National Monument of Culture, one of the oldest and still functioning in Bulgaria.
It was first built in the 12th century and its bloom was during the reign of Assen brothers (13th century). When Turks occupied Turnovo, the monastery was demolished and was restored not earlier than the 18th, beginning of the 19th century. The church dates back to 1845. As all other monasteries, the one in Dryanovo also became a cultural and educational center in the National Revival Period, as well as treasury of national spirit.It lived through heroic days during the April Revolt in 1876. The Cheta (detachment) of Pop Hariton and Bacho Kiro fought the 10,000 Turkish army of Fazla Pasha for nine whole days. Defenders won the admiration of even the Turkish officers. On May 8, the Cheta was defeated and the sanctuary fortress - demolished. A charnel monument in the memory of the heroes was erected in the monastery yard later on; project made by the Italian architect Arnoldo Zoki. Today the monastery hosts the exposition of the Dryanovo Historical Museum, including documents, rebels' uniforms and photos proving the significance of the monastery for the history of the area.
Gabrovo (Sokolski) Monastery of Uspenie Bogorodichno (Assumption)
High amidst the northern slopes of Stara Planina, 4 km from the Open Air Ethnographic Museum of Etur, huddles the Sokolski Monastery. Its church was built on a small site on top of a vertical rock and shows a wonderful view of the Balkan folds. Archimandrite Yossif Sokolski, a well-known struggler for the independence of Bulgarian Church, founded the monastery in 1833. Later on, a school was opened at the monastery, where the famous National Revival educator Neofit Rilski used to teach.The church is one of the remarkable samples of religious Renaissance architecture. Murals on the narthex are the work of the priest Pavel Zograf and his son Nikola from the village of Shipka.
A stone sink with eight walls and eight never failing spouts pours clear and cold mountain water in the monastery yard, telling the story of the famous Master - builder Kolyo Ficheto and of the heroism of fighters for national liberation. Here in 1865, the flag of the Cheta of Captain Dyado Nikola was sanctified, and in 1876 they formed the Cheta of Tsanko Dyustabanov.
The museum exposition shows relics from the struggle of our people for liberation from the Ottoman rule and the part dedicated to the Apostle of Bulgarian freedom, Vassil Levski. The biggest treasures of the museum are the icons painted by the National Revival artist Zahari Zograf.
The Sokolski Monastery is a functioning female cloister.
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