Kilifarevo Monastery

Location: Kilifarevo Monastery is situated on the right bank of Belitsa River, 12 km south of Veliko Tarnovo and 2 km of Kilifarevo. The monastery is surrounded by magnificent nature.

History: The monastery was founded about 1348 – 1350 under the rule of King Yoan Aleksandar. Famous St. Teodosi of Tarnovo had searched for a calm, secluded site, so he build a great cloister there. The monastery grew up and became an important literary and spiritual centre of the Tarnovo Kingdom. The books, written there, had reached Serbia and Russia and made the monastery and its founder, St. Teodosi, very popular. The brave defender of Tarnovo, Patriarch Evtimii, continued his work.

The monastery was destroyed by the Ottoman invaders and was uninhabited for a long period of time. The contemporary Kilifarevo Monastery was built in 1718 at the foot of the previous ruins. “The Birth of Holy Mother” church was built at the same time.

In 1840 the great master Kolio Ficheto built another temple, the present “St. Dimitar” church. It is rich decorated and there are very interesting wall paintings from 1718. They are an important cultural monument.