Dryanovo Monastery

Dryanovo Monastery stands under limestone cliffs at the mouth of the Andaka gorge, founded in the twelfth century and rebuilt several times. In April and May 1876, during the April Uprising, about two hundred insurgents under Bacho Kiro and Pop Hariton held the monastery against a much larger Ottoman force for nine days before it was overrun and the buildings burned, an episode that occupies a substantial place in Bulgarian national memory and is covered by a museum on the site with a bone reliquary of the dead. The monastery was rebuilt afterwards. The gorge around it is wooded with walking routes, and the Bacho Kiro cave is a few minutes away up the valley.

What you actually see

• The 1876 siege museum - the nine-day defence and its aftermath.
• Limestone cliffs above the courtyard - the gorge walls enclosing the site.
• The rebuilt monastery buildings - the post-1876 reconstruction.
• Walking routes in the gorge - paths up the Andaka valley.

When to go

April to October. Two hours, longer with the cave and the gorge walk. The museum closes on some days. The site is busy with Bulgarian school groups in term time.

Honest expectations

The buildings are a post-1876 rebuild rather than medieval. The museum is largely in Bulgarian. The site is small. The restaurant and stalls at the entrance are aimed at coach parties.

Nearby

Bacho Kiro cave is up the gorge; Veliko Tarnovo lies east.