Kremikovtsi Monastery
The monastery Kremikowzi Sweti Georgi Pobedonosez ( Bulgarian Кремиковски манастир Свети Георги Победоносец , in German Kremokovzi Monastery of St. George ) is a monastery of the Balkan Orthodox Church , which is located on the foothills of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church . The monastery is located around 4 km north of the Kremikovtsi district of the Bulgarian capital Sofia .
The monastery is a unique medieval monument to Christian culture in the Balkans and is considered one of the most important in the group of 14 monastic complexes around Sofia. It is a theological and library center. In the manuscripts of the Metropolitan Kalevit that are kept here, a history dating back to 1497 is documented.
The older of the two churches was built in the 15th century and dedicated to the Victorious Saint George ( "Свети Георги Победоносец" ). It contains many valuable frescoes that were designed by two different groups of artists and kept in dark colors. Thematically, the wall paintings are closely related to medieval traditions and life in the 13th and 14th centuries. During the restoration work, even older paintings were discovered, which suggest that the church is much older than previously assumed and documented.
For the newer church, dedicated to the Shroud of St. Mary, the foundation stone was laid in 1901.
The monastery is the sponsor of several ecclesiastical festivities, such as on October 1st, the feast day “Покров Богородичен” , which commemorates the shroud of St. Mary. Other festive days are May 6th, the name day of Saint George and January 17th for Saint Anthony as the patron saint of the monasteries, who is thanked for the difficult winter season.
The outdoor facilities of the monastery are currently being redesigned.
Web links
- Kremikovtsi Monastery (Bulgarian and Russian) , at www.pravoslavieto.com portal
- Information about the monastery
- Further information
Coordinates: 42 ° 47 ′ 49.9 " N , 23 ° 30 ′ 25.3" E
Monastery courtyard
The two monastery churches
The two monastery churches (after the renovation of the monastery in May 2016)
Wall frescoes in the old church
Representation of the donors of the monastery church: the family of the boyar Radivoj
St. George's Day folk festival at Kremikovtsi Monastery
