Klisurski Monastery
Encyclopedia
Klisurski Monastery of "St. Cyril and St. Methodius
", also known as Klisura Monastery, is a monastery
of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
located in northwestern Bulgaria
. It is the fourth largest monastery in Bulgaria. The complex includes two churches, three residential buildings, a farmyard and a kitchen.
Municipality of the Montana Province
. It is situated at the foot of the northern slopes of Todorini Kukla peak in the western Balkan Mountains
. Nearby is the village of Tsvetkova bara
(between the towns of Berkovitsa
and Varshets). The monastery is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Berkovitsa
and 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) from Sofia
.
. It was repeatedly destroyed during the Ottoman rule
. In 1862 it was burned down and the monks and pilgrims were killed by a Turkish pasha
and his soldiers. The monastery was reconstructed in 1869 and the church was officially consecrated in 1891.
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
", also known as Klisura Monastery, is a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
located in northwestern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It is the fourth largest monastery in Bulgaria. The complex includes two churches, three residential buildings, a farmyard and a kitchen.
Location
Klisurski Monastery has the status of a separate settlement in the VarshetsVarshets
Varshets is a spa town in Montana Province, northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Varshets Municipality. As of December 2009, its population is 6,538. The town is located on the northern slopes of the western part of the Balkan mountains in the small valley of...
Municipality of the Montana Province
Montana Province
Montana Province is a province in northwestern Bulgaria, bordering Serbia in the southwest and Romania in the north. It spreads its area between the Danube river and Balkan mountain. As of February 2011, the province has a population of 148,098 inhabitants, on territory of 3,635.5 km²...
. It is situated at the foot of the northern slopes of Todorini Kukla peak in the western Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
. Nearby is the village of Tsvetkova bara
Tsvetkova bara
Tsvetkova bara or Tsvetkova Bara is a village in northwestern Bulgaria, located in the Berkovitsa municipality of the Montana Province ....
(between the towns of Berkovitsa
Berkovitsa
Berkovitsa is a town and ski resort in northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Berkovitsa Municipality, Montana Province and is close to the town of Varshets...
and Varshets). The monastery is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Berkovitsa
Berkovitsa
Berkovitsa is a town and ski resort in northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Berkovitsa Municipality, Montana Province and is close to the town of Varshets...
and 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) from Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
.
History
Klisurski Monastery was founded in the 1240 during the Second Bulgarian EmpireSecond Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
. It was repeatedly destroyed during the Ottoman rule
History of early Ottoman Bulgaria
The history of Ottoman Bulgaria spans nearly 500 years, from the conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire by the Ottoman Empire in 1396, to its liberation in 1878. Bulgarian territories were administrated as the Rumelia Eyalet. The Ottoman rule was a period marked by oppression and misgovernment and...
. In 1862 it was burned down and the monks and pilgrims were killed by a Turkish pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
and his soldiers. The monastery was reconstructed in 1869 and the church was officially consecrated in 1891.