Surrounded by the Rhodopi hills, Bachkovo (Бачковски манастир) is the second largest and the oldest
monastery in Bulgaria.
Bachkovo Monastery Bulgaria |
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The beautiful architecture with some outstanding frescoes together with its size and ancient spirit make it one of the most visited monasteries in Bulgaria. The complex has grown into a tourist sight where dozens of small shops, stalls, and restaurants stand on both sides of the walkway to the
main gate.
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Bachkovo Monastery Bulgaria
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Founded in the xi century, the monastery was destroyed during the Ottoman occupation and most of the structures have been rebuilt in the late xvi c, the main
church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is from this period.
Bachkovo Monastery Bulgaria |
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Here the life is closer to what in a monastery should look like, people visit it because of its religious values. The main church conserves the icon of the Virgin Mary Eleusa from 1310 (brought from Georgia), the icon is wonder-working and attract many pilgrims especially on the Ascension day
(15 August) when a long queue of pilgrims wishing to say their prayers to the miraculous image often starts far outside the entrance of the church.
Murals of the church of the Assumption date from 1643, in the
Narthex saints are painted full size with richly decorated cloths, together with contemporaries citizens dressed in rich cloths and put to torture. Inside the church one of the oldest wood-carved
iconostasis in Bulgaria.
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Bachkovo Monastery Bulgaria
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In southern wing of the monastery, on the dining room’s outside wall (xix c), a
fresco shows the miraculous Icon brought in
procession.
The complex also has two smaller shrines: St Archangels (xiii-xiv c.) in the northern part of the inner yard and St Nicola church (xix c.) in the southern part of the yard.
Bachkovo Monastery Bulgaria |
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Outside the monastery walls, the Ossuary is the only building preserved from the initial construction. The building is a two-storey stone tomb church. Inside frescos are among the most valuable ensembles of xi-xii century Byzantine culture. Unfortunately the church is closed for restoration.
The Bachkovo monastery has long welcomed visitors and accommodated those wishing to stay there for the night. Restaurants and pubs abound in the neighbourhood of the monastery.
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