A Trip to Troyan Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God

It’s the weekend again – the first sunny Saturday of spring. The whole kitchen smells of vanilla from the pancakes I’ve just made, and we can’t wait to slather them in Nutella and tuck in for breakfast. I’d been waiting for ages for the snow to melt so I could hit the road again, raring for new adventures. For the last few months I’d felt like a bird in a cage. I hadn’t been stuck in one place for so long in years – in this case because of Covid-19. Thank God, winter has finally gone, and today we’re off on a lovely trip to a place we all adore – Troyan Monastery. The last time I had the chance to visit was at least 10 years ago, so you can imagine how keen I was to get going.

Day trips are my favourite, because we just start the car and go, without agonising over where to sleep, where to eat or what to see – every time, we decide it all on the move. And once we’re home and have slept on it, we can head off somewhere else the next day with fresh energy. That’s exactly how it went this time too.

The moment we’d polished off the very last pancake, we set off for Troyan without wasting a minute. It was going to be a long but pleasant drive, what with the sunshine. I was glad I wasn’t the one driving, so I could fully enjoy the sight of nature waking up and the trees turning green. It’s so energising!

How do you get to Troyan Monastery?

Troyan Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God sits picturesquely on the banks of the Cherni Osam river in the village of Oreshak, 10 km from Troyan and about 120 km from Sofia. The drive from Sofia to the monastery takes about 2 hours, most of it along the Hemus motorway, after which you carry on along the main Sofia–Varna road. The monastery is the third largest in Bulgaria and one of the most visited in the country. Right next to it there’s a spacious car park, along with lots of little shops and stalls selling the work of local craftspeople – souvenirs, pottery, icons and more – that visitors can take home as a memento of this beautiful little spot.

History of the monastery

Troyan Monastery is one of the biggest spiritual centres in Bulgaria, visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. The holy cloister impresses with its exquisite National Revival architecture and the gorgeous countryside around it. Its founding, far back in time, is directly linked to the miracle-working icon that still heals the ailments of the faithful today – “The Most Holy Mother of God of the Three Hands”.

According to the monastery chronicle, it was founded in the early 17th century, when a Bulgarian monk settled in the peace and quiet of the Troyan Balkan with his only disciple. One day an envoy from the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos passed by. He was travelling to Wallachia and decided to call in when he heard that a priest devoted to God lived here. The monk from Athos stayed for a while, but when he decided to leave, his horse took a few steps and stumbled. Taking this as a sign from God, he went back to wait a little longer. A few days later he tried to set off again, but at the very same spot the horse stumbled once more and fell. He immediately understood that the icon did not wish to leave these lands, and, hard as it was, he parted with it and left alone.

Word got around, and over time more and more people came to pray before the miracle-working icon. As well as pilgrims, priests came wanting to serve at the monastery. Working together, they built a small wooden church, “Nativity of the Mother of God”, as a home for the icon, followed by monks’ quarters and a guesthouse. The monastery’s fame grew, but when Kalisariy was abbot, Troyan Monastery was looted and burnt to the ground, and the abbot himself was cut down.

The most remarkable building in the monastery is undoubtedly the new main church, built in the early 19th century by the renowned National Revival master builder Konstantin of Peshtera, on the site of the old wooden church that had burnt down. To decorate it, in 1847 the monks invited the celebrated Bulgarian painter Zahari Zograf. He painted every wall in his exquisite Revival style, leaving behind murals of saints, the church’s benefactors, Bulgarian patriarchs and tsars, biblical scenes and even a self-portrait.

Among the monastery’s incredible works of craftsmanship, the gilded iconostasis of the main church, made by Nikola Mateev, deserves a special mention. Alongside it stands out the masterful work of the Tryavna school of art, which produced the oldest woodcarving in the complex – the iconostasis of the “St Nicholas” hermitage, as well as that of the other hermitage – “St John the Baptist”.

Another significant architectural monument, built in early 1866 by master builder Ivan from the village of Mlechevo, is the unique five-storey tower. The ground floor houses a storeroom. The next floor up holds the chapel of “Sts Cyril and Methodius”. Above that come living quarters, and at the very top is the belfry. In 1898 the upper floors of the tower were destroyed and stayed that way for almost a century, until in 1987 they were restored to look just as they once had.

Throughout its existence, Troyan Monastery has been a centre of spiritual learning. Several handwritten books from the 18th–19th centuries are known to have been compiled and copied by local monks. As early as the mid-18th century, long before the Liberation, a cell school was running here. The clergy worked hard to pay for the children’s education – the monastery ran woodworking businesses and flour mills. Each monk saw it as his duty to produce something useful, and everything was sold to fill the monastery’s coffers.

In 2012 Patriarch Maxim was laid to rest in the church of Troyan Monastery. His grave lies right next to the miracle-working icon of the Mother of God.

The miracle-working icon of the Holy Mother of God of the Three Hands

Troyan Monastery in the struggle for Liberation

When the April Uprising broke out, the monastery became the command post of the voivodes Panayot Volov, Georgi Ikonomov and Toma Hitrov. And during the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation, it served as a hospital for Russian soldiers.

The first time I visited the monastery, I was in Year 2 or 3 at school. Although it was a long time ago, I still remember how thrilled I was to be somewhere Levski had actually been, and how authentic the place really is.

Other sights in the area

If you decide to stay longer in the area, you can spend the night at Troyan Monastery, but you’ll need to book in advance. Otherwise, you can stay in one of the lovely guesthouses in Oreshak or the village of Cherni Osam, or in one of the hotels in Troyan.

Near the monastery is the National Exhibition of Arts and Crafts – Oreshak, with displays of pottery, woodcarving, icon painting, decorative metalwork, folk costumes and textiles.

Another draw for visitors is the Natural History Museum in the village of Cherni Osam, where you can see the huge variety of wildlife in the Balkan Mountains. Hikers, meanwhile, can head up to Beklemeto or visit the Kozya Stena, Steneto and Severen Dzhendem reserves and enjoy the beautiful views over the hills of the Balkan Mountains. In Troyan you can visit the Museum of Folk Arts and Crafts, which has its own wireless network so visitors with mobile devices can scan the codes on the display cases and learn more about the exhibits through pictures and sound. Other places worth a visit in town include the Ivan Hadzhiyski Museum, the “Seryakova House” Art Gallery and more.

The whole area is rich in natural, architectural and historical sights that are today a heritage for all Bulgarians. To sum up, all I can say is this: give yourself the time to soak up the magic of the Troyan region and get to know this wonderful corner of our beautiful homeland – you definitely won’t regret it.