Christian Monasteries in Bulgaria - Bachkovo Monastery (Paperback)

Chapters: Bachkovo Monastery. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 66. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The inner yard of the Bachkovo Monastery Monastery buildingsThe Bachkovo Monastery (Bulgarian: , Bachkovski manastir, Georgian: , Petritsonis Monasteri) or Petritsoni Monastery in Bulgaria is an important monument of Christian architecture and one of the largest and oldest Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Europe. It is located on the right bank of the Chepelare River, 189 km from Sofia and 10 km south of Asenovgrad, and is directly subordinate to the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The monastery is known and appreciated for the unique combination of Byzantine, Caucasian and Bulgarian culture, united by the common faith. The monastery was founded by Prince Gregory Pakourianos, a prominent Armeno-Georgian statesman and military commander in Byzantine service, in 1083. He set up a seminary for the youth at the monastery. The curriculum in the first place included Christian religion, as well as mathematics, history and music. In the 13th century, Iberianslost the domination over the monastery, but their traditions were preserved until the beginning of 14th century. An Armenian manuscript gospel of the monastery, from the 10th century, is now preserved in the Bulgarian National Library in Sofia. During the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Bachkovo Monastery was patronized by Tsar Ivan Alexander, which is evidenced by an image of him on the archs of the ossuary's narthex. It is believed that the founder of Tarnovo Literary School and last patriarch of the mediaeval Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Euthymius, was exiled by the Turks and worked in the school of the monastery in the early 15th century. Although the monastery survived the first waves of Turkish invasion i...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=1349068