It was as early as the 4th - 5th centuries that monasteries began to be built
in Bulgaria. Written documents and archaeological excavations from that time
testify to the existence of several dozen monasteries raised on territories that
would later be inhabited by Bulgarian people. The construction of the first
monasteries followed a Near East scheme that had already established itself in
some places in Europe but as early as the 6th century Byzantine plans began
gradually to make their influence felt only to turn later into a major standard
of constructing Eastern Orthodox monasteries.
Bulgaria adopted Christianity in 865. Prince Boris (852-889) who considered
monarchism useful for purely State interests, built solid monasteries and
churches inspiring respect and a sense of security, first in the capital city of
Pliska and near to it. The second Christian ruler, the youngest son of Boris,
Tsar Simeon (893-927), erected the new capital of Preslav and founded
monasteries in remote and quiet places creating conditions for the educational
and literary works of writers and Theologians. The Bulgarian monasteries were to
become the foundations of the future culture and spiritual community. In about
886, Prince Boris I accommodated the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, the
creators of the Slavonic-Bulgarian letters, at St. Panteleimon's Monastery built
upon his orders near Preslav. One of the disciples of Cyril and Methodius,
Naoum, established here the new Old-Bulgarian alphabet - the so-called Cyrillic
alphabet (the bases of present-day Bulgarian letters).
Click on the Monastery name you are interested in to take you to
further information about that particular monastery:
Aladja Arbanassi Bachkovo Cherepish Dryanovo Ivanovo
Kapinovo
Kilifarevo Kremikovtsi Rila Rozhen Shipka Sokolovo St Dimitry Bassarbovsky Transfiguration
Troyan
Zemen
Locations of Bulgarian Monasteries
| Copyright 2004 My Bulgaria All Right Reserved. | Published on: 2004-03-20 (5433 reads) |
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