MONASTERIES
The Bulgarian monasteries - hiding human, warm and living rather than "divine"
beauty behind their austere stone facades, still amaze with their magnificent
architecture, unfading frescoes and murals, exquisite icons and wood-carvings,
made
by
self-taught
architects,
builders
and
painters.
The Bulgarian monasteries - during difficult and turbulent times they acted as
centers of patriotism, which helped Bulgarian people to preserve their spirit and
hopes.
ALADZHA MONASTERY
This is one of the few preserved and accessible rock monasteries in Bulgaria,
dating from the early Middle Ages and conforming to the hesychastic idea of
silence, asceticism and moral perfection. Monastic cells and a small church have
been dug into a sheer rock, 14 km from the city of Varna and close to the Black
Sea resort of Golden Sands. Differently colored 13th-14th century frescoes are
still discernible on its walls.
ARBANASSI MONASTERIES
There are two monasteries in the village of Arbanassi, which is situated 3 km
away from Veliko Tarnovo - St.Nikola and Holy Virgin. Between the 17th
century and the period of its tragic devastation two centuries later, the village one of the wealthiest in pre-liberation Bulgaria - boasted a rich and unusual
house architecture - the work of skilled masters from different parts of the
country. St. Nikola Monastery was part of the widespread religious construction
under the Assen dynasty, the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Its
artistic and historical value lies above all in the surviving murals in the St. Elija
Chapel, probably dating from 1716: “Scenes from the life of St Nicholas,” “The
fiery ascent of St Elijah,” “Christ Pantocrator,” and “Virgin Odigitria”. The
effective coloring and rich palette, the confidence in the portrayal of the human
figures, the unusually varied architectural decoration reveal the hand of a master
from a superior and more erudite school – the Tryavna Art School. Another
valuable treasure of the monastery is the polychrome carved wooden iconostasis
dating from late 17th century, famous for its delicate and exquisite decorations.
Though situated in the same village, the Holy Virgin Monastery suffered a
different, though no less tragic fate. It is not known how it survived the attacks
in 1393. During the first centuries of Ottoman rule, it remained a wealthy
monastery but gradually declined due to the persistent raids of Ottoman bandits.
In the 17th century the monastery was restored by the local population. What
has remained of the church frescoes warrants the assumption that they were
painted by traveling artists - highly paid at the time, but still affordable for the
wealthy inhabitants of the village of Arbanassi. As a result, the Holy Virgin
Monastery also has some valuable Tryavna Art School style icons.
BACHKOVO MONASTERY
This is one of the oldest monasteries in the Bulgarian lands. It rises in the
picturesque Chepelare river valley, 25 km south of Plovdiv. Founded in 1083,
the monastery is known and appreciated for the unique combination of
Byzantine, Caucasian and Bulgarian culture, united by the common faith.
Currently, the museum of the Monastery has rich collections of old icons,
jewelry, coins and church plate and its library preserves many valuable old
manuscripts. Its most remarkable feature, however, are the paintings that are
seen everywhere - in the church and charnel house. During the time of the
Second Bulgarian Empire, the Bachkovo monastery was patronized by Tsar Ivan
Alexander, whose image can be seen on the arcs of the narthex of the charnel
house. In addition, a fresco of the Doomsday, painted by Zahari Zograph in
1850, can be seen in the St Nicholas Church and is thought of as one of the most
interesting works of art of the Bulgarian National Revival.
CHEREPISH MONASTERY
History links the name of Sophronius of Vratsa with two monasteries which are
quite distant one from another – the Kapinovo and the Cherepish monasteries.
Like all other Bulgarian cloisters, the Cherepish monastery also rises above a
river - the Iskar. More precisely – it is located in the picturesque Iskar Gorge in
the Balkan mountains. Throughout the centuries, it was inhabited by men of
letters, translators and calligraphers who have left us with numerous valuable
works such as the Cherepish Gospel of the 16th century, bound with gold covers
and depicting scriptural scenes, the Gospel of Monk Danail and Jacob's Book of
Apostles (both dating from the 17th century), and the Margarit collection of
sermons and precepts compiled by Priest Todor of Vratsa in 1762. The
approximate date of the monastery's emergence is certified in wilting: a deed
recorded between 1390 and 1396 is kept today at Sofia's Church Historical and
Archaeological Museum. Some of the murals in the old church were possibly
painted about the mid-19th century by Tryavna artists, but are badly damaged.
The loss is somewhat compensated by the skilfully carved iconostasis and
bishop's throne.
DRYANOVO MONASTERY
Founded during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, the Dryanovo monastery has
been destroyed and re-built several times. It was restored in its present location in the Dryanovo River gorge, 4 km away from the town of Dryanovo - in 1845.
During the 1876 April Uprising, an armed detachment of 200 men, pursued by
the enemy, found shelter behind the walls of Dryanovo Monastery. For nine
days, they engaged in fierce battle before being crushed: all revolutionaries and
monks were killed and the monastery was burned to the ground. Relics of the
April epopee are still preserved in the monastery museum, along with some
valuable icons.
IVANOVO ROCK MONASTERY
This fascinating monastery is located in almost a cosmic landscape - rock
massifs, embracing the picturesque river valley near the city of Rousse. As if
striving to be closer to God, hermit monks settled here during the 11th - 14th
century, digging cells, churches and chapels into the rocks. Talented artists
painted them with realistic frescos, exquisite in colour and composition, and
turned them into a treasure trove of Bulgarian mediaeval painting.
KAPINOVO MONASTERY
The church of the Kapinovo Monastery, near the town of Elena, features an
inscription of the year of its foundation on the cornice above the altar: 1272 - the
time of Constantine the Quiet's rule. Following repeated destructions and
restorations of the monastery, its most recent church was built in 1835 by two
self-taught masters from Dryanovo.
KILIFAREVO MONASTERY
The Kilifarevo Monastery has gone down in the annals of Bulgarian history as
the "Second University of Mediaeval Bulgaria", following that of Clement of
Ochrid's large School in Ochrid. It was founded between 1348 and 1350 upon
the order of Tzar Ivan Alexander, 12 km south of Turnovo, for the purpose of
providing shelter for the Hesychast and hermit Theodossius of Turnovo, a man
of letters and an enlightener roaming the Bulgarian lands at the time. The
monastery soon gathered writers, philologists, translators and calligraphers
alongside with clergymen who spread Hesychasm, theologians and
philosophers. Liturgical books and Byzantine chronicles were translated,
volumes were compiled of the lives of Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek saints, and
sermons were written against the numerous different heresies. The most
remarkable work of art here is again in the chapel: the old carved iconostasis,
probably the work of Tryavna masters, fashioned with great imagination, seen
above all in the figures of mythical monsters and beasts, with great sculptural
talent, manifesting at the same time a perfect measure for decorativeness.
Kilifarevo Monastery repeatedly restored and reconstructed, has a complete,
harmonious appearance, blending with the enviroment, which ranks it among the
finest architectural ensembles of the Bulgarian National Revival period.
KREMIKOVTSI MONASTERY
It was founded during the 14th century, during the rule of Tzar Ivan Alexander,
when 14 monasteries known as the "Sofia Mount Athos" were erected around
Sofia. Destroyed in 1332, it was among the first monasteries to be restored later.
In 1493 its buildings were restored, and St. George's Church - the only building
from that period that still stands - erected. On the outside, the church is small
and insignificant, like all the "semi-legal" buildings of those dark times. As a
compensation, the murals (partially preserved today) turned the interior into a
marvelous gallery. Here, the spirit of the aristocratic Tarnovo Art School still
lives. The coloring is respectfully solemn, the drawing elegant, to the point of
exquisiteness, the figures are lofty and exalted. The artists of the Kremikovtsi
Church dared to not blindly follow the traditional methods, but to challenge
them. In the overall composition of the murals, they introduced a new element
which renewed the art of the time, and has, at its turn, become traditional. This
is the richly ornamented frieze of the waist-length figures of saints and martyrs,
introduced for the first time, which separated the "classic upright saints" from
subject scenes, thus diversifying and enriching the general picture. The
Kremikovtsi Monastery also contains some valuable examples of a calligraphic
art mastered during the 15th century, when the Sofia School of Literature was
created. This art was further developed and used at many monasteries among
which the ones in Dragalevtsi, Kremikovtsi, Kokalyane, and German. The socalled Kremikovtsi Gospel is an example of it.
RILA MONASTERY
The most impressive monument from the Bugarian National Revival period rises
amidst the rugged beauty of the Rila Mountain, just 120 km from Sofia.
Founded in the 10th century, several times destroyed and rebuilt, the Rila
monastery has survived the times with the self-confidence of the most zealous
guard of the Bulgarian spirit and language. Today it still fascinates its visitors
with the pure and harmonious line of the buildings' exquisite colonnades, arches
and vaults, the spacious rooms richly decorated with murals and the marvelous
gold-plated iconostasis. The monastery's most treasured historic and artistic
monuments include the 14th century Hrelyu Tower, the five-domed Birth of the
Blessed Virgin Church and the intriguing monastery kitchen from the 19th
century. The monastery also houses a rich museum collection of valuable old
manuscripts and documents, charters and icons, an ethnographic exhibition of
fabrics, jewelry, carpets and wrought iron objects, and a library containing more
than 16,000 books. In 1983 Rila Monastery was included in the UNESCO List
of World Heritage
ROZHEN MONASTERY
Situated far to the south in the Pirin area, 6 km from Melnik, the Rozhen
monastery is one of the few medieval Bulgarian monasteries well preserved
until today. The present-day appearance of this old cloister (originally built in
the 12th century) dates back to the beginning of the 18th century when it was
reconstructed after a fire. According to one inscription, the fresco of Christ
Pantocrator together with the twelve apostles above the entrance gate of the
main church, was painted in 1597. Valuable monuments of 17th century
painting include the murals on the external southern wall of the church –
Doomsday, and Jacob's Ladder – dated from 1611, as well as the scenes from
the life of John the Baptist painted in 1622 in the ossuary. The inside walls in
the naos, the narthex and chapel of the main church were painted in 1732, with a
strong inclination for narration, as a result of which more than 150 subjectmatters were illustrated. The abundance of figures of monks and hermits
unknown anywhere else – probably historic personages, contemporaries of the
unknown painter – is also typical. Rozhen Monastery owes its fame above all to
its carved iconostases and lecterns. Some of them are extremely complicated
compositions, both in intent and in actual execution, in which Biblical themes
have given full scope to boundless imagination which reached the peaks of
decorativeness. Rozhen Monastery has left us with a treasure in yet another art that of calligraphy. A unique work of the calligraphic school, which existed here
as early as in the 14th century, is the manuscript "Interpretation of Jonah", taken
in 1674 from the Constantinople Patriarch Dositheusm, and kept today in the
Holy Grave Church in Jerusalem.
SHIPKA MONASTERY
The Shipka Monastery is a symbol of an epoch-making event for Bulgaria - it
was built in living memory to the Bulgarian revolutionaries and the Russian
soldiers who died during the Russian-Turkish Liberation War of 1877-78. The
monastery, together with an impressive memorial church, was erected near the
town of Shipka, below the famous Shipka Pass in the Balkan Range, where in
the summer of 1877 Russian troops and Bulgarian volunteers achieved the
break-through that brought about the victorious outcome of the war. The
construction of the monastery, which started in 1896 and was completed in six
years, was financed by the Russian and the Bulgarian people. The monastery
church “Nativity” is very impressive. It is a real masterpiece of architecture and
was declared a monument of culture. The temple was built in the Russian
cathedrals traditional style from 17th century. The golden domes and crosses are
shining far from the distance and the versicolored inlays are like alive. Solemn
elegance is also emanated by the carved and gilded iconostasis. It stands by no
means estranged in the overall panorama of Bulgarian monasteries. Just like
them, it is more than just a place of worship.
TRANSFIGURATION MONASTERY
Erected in the picturesque Yantra River Gorge, 7 km to the North of Veliko
Tarnovo, the Transfiguration Monastery is a masterpiece of the 11th-century art
and architectural principles. A world of much sun and vibrancy greets up here. It
was burned to the ground when the capital of the Second Bulgarian State was
taken by the Ottomans; centuries had pass before life was reinstated here, on the
top of the ruins. The monastery started its second existence in 1825. A part of
the building and the Holy Virgin Church were erected - a revival of the late 14th
century Athos type of architecture, an absolute exception from the ideas and
construction principles of the National Revival period. Construction of the
second church - The Transfiguration - started in 1832. The famous architect of
the Bulgarian National Revival, Kolyo Ficheto, embarked on the construction of
the new church. He created one of the supreme examples of Bulgarian Baroque a three apside cross-cupola building. The Transfiguration Church murals as well
as some of the icons were painted by Zahary Zograph, while others - by
Stanislav Dospevski.
TROYAN MONASTERY
Above all, the Troyan Monastery is famous for the creative work of Zahari
Zograph who painted both the exterior and the interior of the church (a rare
practice at the time). The cloister is a fine example of the impact of the popular
conception of the world and the influence of housing architecture on religious
construction. Here, Zahari Zograph repeated the social and moral "experiments"
in religious painting (the compositions Doomsday and the Wheel of Life), left
his second self-portrait signed with amazing self confidence in spite of the
Ottoman bondage, and painted the figures of Bulgarian and Russian saints.
Furthermore, he painted a completely secular group portrait of the monastic
brotherhood in the refectory - something highly unusual at the time. A chronicle
dates back the foundation of the monastery in the year 1600, unfortunately,
nothing but the stone throne of the church remains from the time. The Troyan
Monastery belongs completely to the Bulgarian National Revival period.
Eminent men of letters worked here during the mid-18th century, and a School
was also founded. The patriotic mission turned into a tradition. In 1872, Vassil
Levski set up here a secret revolutionary committee, which was joined by all the
monks headed by abbot Macarius. Four years later, the monastery became a
citadel of the 1876 April Uprising. Fortunately, most of the great works of old
and National Revival art have survived. The iconostasis of the main church,
made in 1839, is a masterpiece of woodcarving. Amazing in its originality, is the
much earlier (1794) carving of the holy altar gates in the St. Nikola Chapel. The
icons introduce us once again to the best known National Revival artists: the
Samoltovians Dimitar Zograph and Nikola Obrazopissov, Tryavna's Simeon
Tsonyuv, Dossyu Koyuv, Koyu Tsenyuv, and Theodossius Koyuv Vitanov.
Particularly valuable among the multitude of manuscripts and incunabula are the
17th century Troyan Homilies. Furthermore, the monastery's "printery" in which
fine graphic works, including many landscapes, were made, was widely known.
ZEMEN MONASTERY
The Zemen monastery is famous for the church frescoes, which date back to the
11th and the 14th centuries and do not belong to the formal courses of medieval
mural painting. Founded during the 11th century it is located above the Strouma
River, 76 km south-east of Sofia. A solid stone building, it was the only one to
survive the monastery's ravaging and depopulation after Bulgaria's subjection to
Ottoman rule. It was not restored until the 19th century. The Zemen church is an
absolute exception to the whole of Bulgaria's medieval architecture - a cubic
building, with three semicylindrical apsides with equal height, reaching up to the
roof cornice, which unites them in a single group. The roof - a four-wall
squashed pyramid with a cupola atop a cylindrical drum, decorated by two rows
of blind arches - is unique in the entire Balkan Peninsula. The facades, which are
broken up only plastically - by means of blind arches and lacking color effects complete the harsh original appearance. A strange blend is achieved with the
impact of the inside murals - also harsh, somewhat crude, as if deliberately
archaic. With few parallels in contemporary painting, they continued the
traditions of the preiconoclastic period in the Eastern Orthodox art. The Zemen
master also had a particular weakness for folk-style details which he skillfully
depicted. All this makes this monastery a rare monument of original medieval
folk art, of that marked trend in religious painting which Andrei Grabar called
"democratic trend".