
The Kilifarevo Monastery “Birth of the Blessed Virgin” is situated 4 km south of Kilifarevo and 17 km south of Veliko Turnovo, at the left bank of Belitza River. It was founded about 1350 by the prominent man of letters and Hesychast Teodosii Tarnovski and built with the help of Tsar Ivan - Alexander. Teodosii Tarnovski made it a home of the famous Kilifarevo School of Letters. The Kilifarevo Monastery has gone down in the annals of Bulgarian history as the "Second University of Mediaeval Bulgaria", following that of Clement of Ochrid's large School in Ochrid. It was founded between 1348 and 1350 upon the order of Tzar Ivan Alexander, 12 km south of Turnovo, for the purpose of providing shelter for the Hesychast and hermit Theodossius of Turnovo, a man of letters and an enlightener roaming the Bulgarian lands at the time.

The monastery soon gathered writers, philologists, translators and calligraphers alongside with clergymen who spread Hesychasm, theologians and philosophers. Liturgical books and Byzantine chronicles were translated, volumes were compiled of the lives of Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek saints, and sermons were written against the different and numerous heresies.

The most remarkable work of art here is again in the chapel: the old carved iconostasis, probably the work of Tryavna masters, fashioned with great imagination, seen above all in the figures of mythical monsters and beasts, with great sculptural talent, manifesting at the same time a perfect measure for decorativeness.

During the Ottoman oppression the monastery had been frequently destroyed and restored. The latest restoration is from the middle of the 19th century. The most remarkable architectural monument here is the monastery church Holy Mother's Nativity, known also as Saint Dimiter which has been proclaimed for cultural monument. Kilifarevo Monastery repeatedly restored and reconstructed, has a complete, harmonious appearance, blending with the enviroment, which ranks it among the finest architectural ensembles of the Bulgarian National Revival period.

Other places of interest in the region

Veliko Turnovo


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Shipka Church – Memorial


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“St. Archangels Michael and Gavrail”


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“The Nativity” Church


“The Nativity” is one of the oldest churches in the picturesque village of Arbanassi, included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List of valuable cultural sites. It was built in the end of the 16 th and the beginning of the 17 th century. It comprises a ...

Sokolovo Monastery


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Kiliffarevo Monastery


The Kilifarevo Monastery “Birth of the Blessed Virgin” is situated 4 km south of Kilifarevo and 17 km south of Veliko Turnovo, at the left bank of Belitza River. It was founded about 1350 by the prominent man of letters and Hesychast Teodosii Tarnovski ...

Arbanassi


The village of Arbanassi (population: 310 inhabitants) is one of the most picturesque old settlements in Bulgaria. It is situated in the rocky plateau of the same name, 4 km northeast of the town of Veliko Turnovo. With its monumental National Revival ...

Transfiguration Monastery


The masterpriece of another age, of other principles in architecture and art, is the Transfiguration Monastery, erected 7 km from Veliko Turnovo in one of the pictureque gorges of the Yantra River. ...

Cathedral temple


The cathedral temple “The birth of Holly Mother” is settled in ‘Bolyarska mahala” (Bolyaska quarter) in Veliko Tarnvo. The master Kolio Ficheto built it in 1842. It was made from carved sandstone and its characteristics are the big main cornice, the Ficheto’s ...

Mother Bulgaria monument


The monument is settled in the center of the town of Veliko Tarnovo and even some people consist that it is the center of the town. The monument is devoted to the fighters, who lost their lives in four wars – Russian – Turkish, Serbian – Bulgarian, the ...

The monument of the Assens


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Patriarchal Church


the central part of Tsarevets, on the highest point, there once towered the Patriarchal church “Holy Ascending of God”. It was built over the ruins of an early Christian church, dating back from the end of the V and the beginning of the VI century. The ...

Samovodska charshia


The Samovodska charshia is the old market in the old capital of Bulgaria – Veliko Turnovo. In the early 19 th century, when the town was rapidly developing, there emerged a shopping center with lots of retail outlets and artisan workshops, bakeries and ...

Tsarevets Hill


The Tsarevets Hill was the main fortress of the medieval Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo. During the period (1185 – 1395) of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom Bulgaria was the largest and the most powerful state in Southeastern Europe. The hill itself was ...

St. Dimitar Church


The church of “St. Dimitar” in Veliko Turnovo is situated at the northeastern foot of Trapezitsa elevation on the right bank of Yantra River. It is the oldest Medieval church in Turnovo. It is related to the earliest manifestations of the Bulgarian rulers ...

Church St. St. Konstantin and Elena


The church “St. St. Konstantin and Elena” is settled in the picturesque town of Veliko Tarnovo. In 19 th century it was surrounded by the big Revival houses. It was built by Kolio Ficheto, who cleverly has combined the different architectural forms and ...

Archeological museum – Veliko Tarnovo


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Sound and Lights show


The original music and striking illumination of audio-visual show “Tsarevgrad – Tarnov – sound and lights” recreates on the Tsarevets Hill an emotional image to remember of the Bulgarian history. The very first chords carry us to the time when the Thracians, ...

Madara Horseman


relief portraying a life size horseman, followed by a dog is carved on a cliff, about 100 m high. The relief covers an area of 23 m2 . A dying lion is pictured at the feet of the horse. Greek inscriptions around the figure tell of Bulgarian rulers ...

Pizza & Grill "EGO"


Modern restaurant, located in the very centre of the town, with perfect service. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very comfortable and from the spacious balcony, there's a splendid view across the old town, the Yantra river and Tsarevets fortress. ...

Restaurant "International"


Restaurant "International" is located in the very centre of Veliko Turnovo, opposite the Mother Bulgaria Monument. The restaurant has about 350 sq.meter of space, equiped with with a good air condition and is designed in Greek style. It seats 170 and ...