Preobrazhenski Monastery
Preobrazhenski Monastery
Preobrazhenski monastery is one of the largest Bulgarian monasteries erected at a picturesque site, some 7 kilometers from the former capital of Bulgaria – Veliko Tarnovo.
It was built in the mid of the 14th century, patronized by Tsar Ivan Alexander and his heir Tsar Ivan Shishman.
During the five centuries of Ottoman rule over Bulgarian land, the monastery was several times raided and finally burned down sharing the faith of many other Christian shrines.
Its restoration started in 1825 and was fully completed 1882, when Bulgaria was already liberated from the Turk suppressor.
Two of the most eminent men of the Bulgarian Revival worked on the restoration - Kolyo Ficheto (architect) and Zahari Zograph (iconographer).
The frescoes Zahari Zograph painted on the outer wall of the monastery church are true masterpieces, most remarkable of which are The Wheel of Life and The Judgment Day.
The rest are The Birth of Christ, The Dormition of the Theotokos, The Last Supper.
Along with the images of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the artist has painted a portrait of himself.
Of interest is also the exhibition of relics gathered over the decades and the collection of books in the library, among which there’s a Gospel from 1629.
