Cherepish Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin ( Bulgarian. Turtles manastir "Assumption of the Virgin" ) - the male monastery of the Vratsa diocese of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church . One of the most famous monasteries in Bulgaria . It is located 29 km southeast of Vratsa , on the very banks of the Iskar River . The monastery is located at the foot of majestic cliffs with many caves carved in them.
History
It was founded during the reign of Tsar Ivan Shishman (1371–1395). There is a legend according to which the name of the holy place comes from the many bones of those killed under the leadership of Tsar Ivan Shishman in the battle with the Turks at the end of the XIV century.
At the end of the 16th century, the Bulgarian isographer, scribe, and temple builder Pimen Zografsky restored the monastery, turning it into a center of bookishness and spiritual activity. In the walls of the monastery in 1612 the glorified Cherepish Four Gospel was made in a silver setting. Active work to create church books continued in the 18th century .
During the centuries of Turkish rule, the monastery was burned several times, but was rebuilt each time.
In 1784, in the rocks above the monastery, a two-story ossuary was built, whose chapel is dedicated to St. John the Baptist .
The atrocities of the Kirdzhali (Turkish robbers) with the connivance of the authorities after the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791 forced the monks to temporarily leave the monastery at the end of the 18th century, but in 1802 he returned to life.
From 1950 to 1990, the Sophia Theological Seminary was located in the Cherepish Monastery, since the complex of seminary buildings and the surrounding area were confiscated by the communist authorities.
Cherepish Monastery was declared a cultural monument of national importance.
See also
- Eulogius (Stamboldzhiev) (1986)
- Pavel (Petrov) (1986-1987)
- Kiprian (Kazanjiev) (from August 1, 2007)