Description of the attraction
Plakovsky monastery of St. Prophet Elijah is located in the vicinity of the village of Plakovo, south of Veliko Tarnovo, 18 kilometers. It is located in the center of Stara Planina. Just two kilometers away, there is the Kapinovsky Monastery, both of these monasteries are called twins.
The Plakovsky monastery was founded in the 13th century during the reign of Tsar Ivan Asen II, after which it was repeatedly destroyed and devastated during the era of Turkish slavery. It was also restored several times - the last reconstruction of the bell tower and residential buildings took place in 1845. In the last restoration of the monastery in 1856, Kolya Ficheto, the famous architect of Bulgaria, took an active part. He built a belfry, a cathedral church, and, according to historians, erected a residential wing. In this form, the monastery has survived to this day.
The last pogrom was preceded by the Velchova Zavera - a conspiracy of the activists of the Bulgarian liberation movement for the freedom of Bulgaria and the Christian faith against the Ottoman invaders. Named after the merchant Velcho Atanasov, who brought the idea of an armed uprising from abroad. The abbot of the Plakovsky Monastery, Father Sergius, took an active part in the conspiracy. Also, such well-known personalities as Hadji Bradata, Georgy Mamarchev and others were involved in the preparation of the uprising. The monastery became their refuge and main base. However, a traitor was discovered in the ranks of the revolutionaries, who led the Ottomans to the monastery. They destroyed most of the rebels, the uprising did not take place, and the invaders plundered the Plakovsky monastery and set it on fire.
The holy monastery, which in the era of the Bulgarian Renaissance became a major spiritual and educational center, was often visited by the Bulgarian leaders and ideologists of the liberation movement, the cleric Neofit Bozveli and Bishop Sofroniy Vrachansky.
The Plakovsky Monastery contains ancient valuable manuscripts, old printed books, as well as rare icons, including the famous icon by Zachary Zograf "Christ the Great Bishop", which is of exceptional cultural value.
Plakovsky Monastery is a cultural monument.
