Description of the attraction
The Troyan Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin is an imposing Orthodox monastery, the third largest in Bulgaria. It is located in a picturesque place on the slope of the Stara Planina Mountains (Balkans), 10 kilometers from the town of Troyan and not far from the village of Oreshak. The Cherni-Osam river flows near the monastery.
Thanks to the references preserved in written sources, it was possible to establish that the monastery was built in the 17th century. Abbot Callistratus is considered to be its founder.
In 1835, a solemn ceremony of consecration of the new church, erected on the site of the previous one, took place. The structure, built by the master Konstantin from Peshter, is a cross-domed temple with a narthex, an arched gallery and a pentahedral apse in the altar part. In 1847-1849. the building was decorated with murals. The work was carried out by an outstanding representative of the Samokov school, the famous Bulgarian painter Zakhary Zograf. The frescoes depict scenes from Holy Scripture ("The Last Judgment", etc.), saints, Jesus Christ and others. A skilfully carved wooden iconostasis of the late 1830s has survived in the monastery church, and in the chapel of St. Nicholas there are earlier carved royal gates.
The bell tower was built in 1866 under the guidance of master Ivan from the village of Mlechevo.
The Troyan Monastery was an educational center at the end of the 19th century. Now there is a library where you can get acquainted with a rich collection of various printed publications. During the struggle of the Bulgarians for liberation, the monastery was a refuge for many revolutionaries.
