Sopot Convent "The Presentation of God's Mother to the Temple"
Popular Name
Sopot Convent
Orthodox Name
The Presentation of God's Mother to the Temple
Region
Location
The Sopot convent “The Presentation of God's Mother to the Temple” is situated in the center of the town of Sopot. It forms a historical ensemble with Rada’s Girls School and the St Apostles Peter and Paul church. An extremely beautiful and well-kept garden and buildings that have preserved their ancient look and spirit unveil behind the thick wall of the monastery.
History
The Sopot convent was established in 1665. Following the destruction of Sopot by fire in 1877 by the Turks during the Russian-Turkish War it was only the residential building with wide porches, the church and the vine that survived. The church “The Presentation of God's Mother to the Temple” is rather interesting from an architectural point of view, as it does not have a clearly shown apse in its eastern side and is half-dug beneath the surface. Also noteworthy are its wall-paintings from the 17th c. – the so-called “saints without heads” and the “royal line” of the iconostasis. The cell of a nun named Hristina and the entrance to a hiding place, where the nun hid Vassil Levski, were to be found in the first floor of the residential building with wide porches, built in the 18th c. A monastery school that functioned until 1850 and in which one of the first Bulgarian teachers, Nedelya Petkova, studied, was arranged in the southern cell on the second floor of the same building. The northern cell in the same floor in turn hosted Hadzhi Rovoama and her novice Rada Gospozhina that served as a prototype of one of the protagonists of Ivan Vazov in his novel “Under the Yoke”. The monastery also keeps the oldest grape vine in Southeastern Europe (and maybe even in the whole of Europe) that is of the same age as the convent and still gives fruit. The monastery had hosted a scriptorium for copying of religious books, as well as an icon-painting school for nuns that operated until the 30es of the 20th c. At present, the monastery has the status of a monument of culture of national significance and continues to operate as a nunnery.
Accommodation
Food and accommodation are not offered.
Transport
The monastery is situated in the very centre of the town of Sopot.
Photo Gallery
Ratings
History: 10.00
Architecture: 10.00
Location: 10.00
Overall Rating: 9.99
Our Presentation: 10.00
Total Votes: 2
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