What's new 03/04/2008 - We have added the
Shuma Monastery situated near the town of Godech and the
Basarbovo rock Monastery near the city of Rousse.
02/03/2008 - We have added 2 monasteries near the town of Troyan - the
Zelenikovets Monastery and the
Novo Selo Monastery.
09/12/2007 - We have added 2 monasteries - the
Gigintsi Monastery, situated on the west of town of Pernik, and the
Skravena Monastery near the town of Botevgrad.
25/11/2007 - We have added information and photos on several monasteries in Central Bulgaria -
Sopot Monastery,
Sopot Convent,
Maglizh Monastery,
Kazanlak Monastery,
Kalofer Nunnery and
Kalofer Monk Monastery.
10/10/2007 - A walk south of city of Burgas -
Gorno Ezerovo Monastery near Meden Rudnik quarter and
Golyamo Bukovo Monastery in Strandzha mountain.
26/08/2007 - We have added information on the
Gorni Bogrov Monastery near Sofia,
Resilovski Monastery near Dupnitsa and on 3 monasteries situated near the town of Botevgrad -
Botevgrad (Zelinski) Monastery,
Vrachesh Monastery and
Chekotinski Monastery.
23/08/2007 - We have added information on the
monastery near the Zlatna Livada village, known as one of the oldest monasteries in Europe, and also on the
Divotino Monastery near the town of Bankya.
In the last few years, Bulgarian monasteries, which are closely connected to the historical fate of the Bulgarian state and nation, have witnessed increasing tourist interest. From the very start, monasteries have gained great importance as centres of the Bulgarian literature and culture and have preserved the nation's values during difficult times. Some of the monasteries, which date back to Byzantine times, have played a key role in keeping up the Bulgarians' spirit and self-consciousness during 5 centuries of Ottoman domination. Others were built in the late 20th century in the place of destroyed cloisters in order to restore past glory and respond to the religious needs of local people. Due to Ottoman invasions or merely to the course of time, only few of the still-functioning monasteries keep their original architecture and interior of the buildings. Nevertheless, the visit of each one of them leaves a lasting memory and a deep impression. Some impose on the visitor with their unique design, others - with their valuable icons and masterly wall paintings, third - with their location in most beautiful and wild parts of the country.
The purpose of this website is not to make a thorough review of all preserved monasteries in Bulgaria but to present only those of tourist value - either for their beautiful architecture and rich history, or the opportunity for a nice holiday in the monastery's complex, or merely the interesting stop these could represent for a traveller. Our team has visited all the included monasteries and has discussed the history of the cloister with a monk or nun in most of them. That makes us proud of giving you first-hand information and sharing with you our unique photos of these monasteries. We hope that you will enjoy browsing our site!
