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Glojenski monastery “St. George” - A castle on the rocks
There is no such monastery in Bulgaria! „St. George” stands proudly on one stone edge in  Stara planina mountain beneath the lovely, afforested with venerable beeches Lisetc peak. The visitor is amazed by the fascinating view, spread to Dunav river in the North and to the valley of Vit river in the South. The legend says that this happened during the XIII century. The prince of Kiev , called Gloj,came to this place running from Southern Russia, pursued by the Tartars.He found hospitality in Bulgaria and to thank he build up a monastery above the place, where he settled –the present village of Glojene, giving it the name “St. George The Victor -Kiewski”. Prince Gloj built a stone tower for protection together with the cloister.Literacy was developed in the monastery. It owned a great amount of hand- written books, but the Phanariot bishops in the town of Lovech, where was the eparchy,destroyed many of them. The monastery prepared students and lay brothers for priests, teachers and monks.There was a monastic school in it too. The ancient church ,decorated with rich wood-carvings,stood proud on the rock untill the year of 1913, when a destructive earthquake destroyed it. A part of a solemn altar gate is kept from the antique iconostasis.Prince Gloj brought from Russia an old sacred image, which was silvered in 1826. This icon was proclamated for “miraculous”.The present church was built half a century ago. The bishop of Turnovo Kliment was sent into exile in the Glojenski monastery because he was pursued by the existing political regime. His cell was turned into a museum. The Glojenski monastery is situated nearby the village of Glojene, on a high sheer rock in the north-eastern slope of the Lisetc mountain massif.The monastery is surrounded by the valley of Vit river in the East. Due to its locality it is one of the most picturesque monasteries in Bulgaria. |
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