Bachkovo Monastery

Bachkovo was founded in 1083 by Grigorii Bakuriani, a Georgian commander in Byzantine service, and his brother, which gives it an unusual origin among Bulgarian monasteries, and it is the second largest in the country after Rila. The oldest surviving building is the two-storey ossuary a short walk outside the walls, with wall paintings of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Inside the walls, the main church of 1604 holds a venerated icon of the Virgin, and the refectory of 1601 is painted throughout with a Tree of Jesse on the vault and a long panorama of the monastery on one wall. The courtyards are planted and the buildings are stone and timber on several levels. It is a working monastery and busy with pilgrims.

History

Gregory Pakourianos, a Georgian statesman and commander in Byzantine service, founded the monastery in 1083 as a Georgian monastic centre, requiring his monks to know Georgian, and he set up a school teaching religion, mathematics, history and music; among its monks was Ioane Petritsi, important to Georgian philosophy. The Georgian monks lost their hold in the 13th century, Tsar Ivan Alexander, whose portrait appears in the narthex of the ossuary, was a patron, and Patriarch Euthymius, founder of the Tarnovo Literary School, is believed to have worked here in exile early in the 15th century (Wikipedia, Bachkovo Monastery).

The main sights

• The painted refectory - a Tree of Jesse and a panorama of the monastery.
• The eleventh-century ossuary - the oldest building, outside the walls.
• The venerated Virgin icon - the object most pilgrims come for.
• Stone and timber courtyards - the monastery buildings on several levels.

When to go

April to October; the monastery is open year round. Two to three hours. Weekends and feast days bring large numbers of pilgrims. The refectory and ossuary have separate limited opening.

Practical notes

The refectory and ossuary are the best things here and both have restricted access; the ossuary in particular is often closed. Photography inside the church is not permitted. The approach is lined with stalls. It is very busy at weekends.

Nearby

Asen's Fortress is down the valley; the Wonderful Bridges lie south.

Key facts