Roschen Monastery

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Roschenkloster - general view of the west side with the Pirin Mountains in the background
Entrance to the monastery church
Fresco in Roschen Monastery

The Rozhen Monastery ( Bulgarian Роженски манастир ) is the largest monastery in the area of the Pirin -Gebirges, in the southwest of Bulgaria and one of the most beautiful monasteries in the country. The actual ecclesiastical name of the monastery is “Holy Birth of Our Lady Mary ” monastery ( Bulgarian Свето Рождество Богородично ). Roschen Monastery is listed among the 100 national tourist objects of Bulgaria created by the Bulgarian Tourist Board.

The monastery is located in the Bulgarian part of the Macedonia countryside and is one of the few medieval Bulgarian monasteries that is well preserved today. The monastery used to be under the direct control of the patriarch ( Stauropegia ). Today it is subordinate to the eparchy (diocese) Newrokop with seat in Blagoewgrad (see: Bulgarian Orthodox Church ). The monastery is still used by monks today.

location

Inner courtyard of the Roschen Monastery

The monastery is located in a remote location at an altitude of 585 m, in a picturesque mountainous area, 6 km northeast of Melnik . The hiking trail from Roschen Monastery (1.5 hours by foot) leads directly through the striking sandstone pillars of the Melnik pyramids . The hill with the monastery is located above and 1 km west of the village of Roschen and 3 km south of the village of Karlanowo (Bulgarian Кърланово). The most famous of the Melnik pyramids is a group of pyramids not far from the village of Karlanowo. The sandstone pyramids there are particularly large and there is a rest home and other tourist accommodation in the immediate vicinity.

Floor plan and interior

The monastery buildings are reminiscent of a medieval fortress. It has the shape of an irregular hexagon. Part of the inner courtyard is shaded by grapevines. The inner courtyard is surrounded by the residential building with two- and three- story gallery galleries . The monk cells are also located here.

Monastery church

The Katholikon , the monastery church "Holy Birth of the Mother of God" ( Mary's Birth ; Bulgarian Свето Рождество Богородично) dominates the monastery courtyard with its dimensions (10 m × 22 m). It is a three-aisled and three-headed basilica. There are some valuable icons to see here: "The Saints Cosma and Damjan" ( Cosmas and Damian ), "The Entry into Jerusalem" ( Entry into Jerusalem ) and "The Congregation of the Archangels" ( Congregation of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel ).

On the south side of the altar a small chapel is separated, which has its own wood-carved iconostasis which is assigned to the Debar school . Various animal figures and plant ornaments are shown intertwined with scenes from the Old Testament. The unique wood carvings are one of the most important sights of the monastery from an artistic point of view. A Bulgarian postage stamp from 1984 is dedicated to them. The monastery is also famous for its well-preserved wall ( fresco ) and glass paintings. Most of the wall paintings date from 1732. There are also older ones from 1597, 1611 and 1715. The donor's picture of the nun Melania has also been preserved.

The miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin, which is owned by the monastery and "protects" the monastery, is kept in a coffin in the chapel "Saints Kosma and Demjan". According to legend, it is one of the few icons made of consecrated iron. The icon is a copy from 1790 of Our Lady of the Gate in the Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos.

history

The name of the monastery church “Holy Birth of Mary” was transferred over time to the nearby village of Roschen (Bulgarian Рожен).

The previous history of the monastery is not exactly known. According to the chronicles kept in Athos , the monastery was founded in 890. A large fire damaged the monastery buildings at the end of the 17th century and probably also destroyed the monastery archives.

The earliest archaeological evidence of life in this place during the Middle Ages is provided by a grave that was discovered during excavations in the monastery courtyard. In it jewelry and some coins from the time of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII. Dukas Komnenos Palaiologos (emperor from 1259 to 1282) were found. The marble frieze above the main entrance of the monastery church dates from the 13th or 14th century.

Some of the monastery buildings were built at the time of the despot Alexius Slaw († after 1229).

Indirect evidence for the existence of the monastery in the 13th century can be found in a copy of a Greek manuscript . Such an artistic manuscript from the 14th century, decorated with miniatures, is kept in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. There was still a calligraphic school here in the 14th century.

However, the first written source for the existence of Roschen Monastery is a note in a hymn book from 1551, which is now in the library of the Athos Monastery of Megisti Lavra . It is a copy from a manuscript which notes that it was made in 1551 by Hieromonachos Kosma, the monastery head ( Hegumen ) of the monastery "Vsesweschtenata Bogorodiza Rosinotisa" (Bulgarian Всесвещената Богородица Розиота).

The monastery church was built before the 15th century and painted with frescoes before 1597 - some of the frescoes (wall paintings) have been preserved from this period. The frescoes on the south facade date from 1611. In the period between 1662 and 1674, the monastery was badly damaged by a fire that destroyed the library and also severely affected most of the buildings.

In the 16th century the Roschen monastery experienced an upswing. In the middle of the 16th century, today's south wing of the monastery and the main church ( Katholikon ) were built. At the end of the 16th century, the church and the dining room ( refectory ) were decorated with wall paintings. At the beginning of the 17th century, the south facade of the main church was painted, in 1662 the new ossuary of the monastery was painted with frescoes. After another fire in the second half of the 17th century, the situation for the monastery deteriorated. At the beginning of the 18th century, the monastery was restored with financial support from wealthy Bulgarians from all over the country. Reconstruction began in 1715, work on the church was completed in 1732, and only since then has the church got its current appearance. In the second half of the 18th century the monastery lost its independence due to economic difficulties and became a branch ( metochi ) of the Georgian monastery Iviron on Mount Athos.

At the beginning of the 19th century the construction of the monastery continued. At that time the monastery was a regional spiritual center and owned many lands in the area. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the monastery fell into disrepair again.

The grave of the Bulgarian revolutionary Jane Sandanski (1872-1915) is located 200 m east of the monastery . He is buried in the church "Saints Cyril and Method" ( Cyril and Method ), which was built here from 1912 to 1914 on his initiative.

Every year on September 8th, the monastery festival ( St. Mary's Birth ) takes place, for which people from the area gather.

Web links

Commons : Roschen Monastery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Roschen Monastery "Holy Birth of Mary" (Bulgarian) in the Orthodox portal www.pravoslavieto.com

Coordinates: 41 ° 31 ′ 50 "  N , 23 ° 25 ′ 36"  E