Bachkovo Monastery

One of the most popular and frequently visited monasteries in Bulgaria is considered to be the Bachkovsky Monastery, but only the Rila Holy Monastery can compete with it. The convenient location and good transport accessibility is a clear advantage that attracts tourists and pilgrims.

History

The Bachkovsky monastery was so named for its proximity to the small village of Bachkovo. At the same time, the main temple was built in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The year of the beginning of construction is 1083, Grigory Bakuriani is considered the founder, he also wrote the statute book. Bakuriani was a viceroy of the Byzantine Emperor, of Georgian origin. Perhaps that is why for a long time all the monks of the monastery were also only of Georgian origin and all services were conducted in their language. This order was followed until the 14th century, when Greek and Bulgarian brothers began to be accepted into the monastery.

With the arrival of the Turkish conquerors on these lands, the monastery's situation worsened, now his duties included paying impressive taxes, in addition, ruinous raids by robbers became frequent. This lasted until the beginning of the 17th century, when the Bachkovsky Monastery came under the control of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In the following centuries, more and more Greeks came here, which eventually led to a struggle between the Greek and Bulgarian monastic fraternity. The result of this resistance was the transfer of the monastery to the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Diocese, which occurred at the end of the 19th century.

Main attractions

Of the old monastery, the construction of which began in the 11th century, today only a stone crypt remains. Some of the frescoes in it have been preserved since its foundation. Larger buildings date back to the 17th century, as the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was built here in 1604. There is an icon of the Virgin Mary in the cathedral - "Tenderness", it is considered miraculous and is deeply revered by the Orthodox.

The church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, was built already in the early 19th century, it is famous for its interior painting, which was executed by the famous icon painter Zachary Zograf. The third temple on the territory of the monastery was consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas, it was built in 1963. The current building is today a baptismal church.

The Bachkovsky monastery also owns 13 chapels, most of them are located on the road from Asenovgrad. All of them were built in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The monastery has a museum with an extensive collection of ancient icons. There is a library with a collection of manuscripts and old books. The Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin belongs to the cultural and historical monuments of Bulgaria.