“Holy Trinity” Monastery
Only 6 km north of the town of Veliko Tarnovo, at the foot of the Arbanassi plateau is the Patriarchal Monastery of the Holy Trinity, surrounded by high sheer cliffs.
The exact date of construction of the building is not clear, but there are two main theories. The first is that the Holy Trinity Monastery was built in 1070, and the second is that it was founded by Patriarch Euthymius with the help of Tsar Ivan Shishman between 1371 and 1395. It is because of the second theory that the monastery is called “Patriarchal” or also known as “Shishmanov”.
In 1847 the great Bulgarian master Kolyu Ficheto built the church of the Holy Trinity Monastery, painted and frescoed by another great Bulgarian author and artist – Zahari Zograf. His creations are the great incredible icons of John the Baptist, the Mother of God, the Holy Trinity, Christ Almighty, as well as the overall painting of the interior of the church.
The church monastery is cross-shaped and with three added domes after the Liberation of Bulgaria, as during the Ottoman rule they were banned for the Orthodox churches.
A Roman boundary stone, brought from the village of Hotnitsa, with an inscription by the Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138), denoting the Roman provinces of Thrace and Moesia, is placed in the foundations of one of the columns of the church.
Unfortunately, a strong earthquake in the region of Veliko Tarnovo in 1913 destroyed both the monastery and the church, but they were completely rebuilt in the same place.
The Holy Trinity Monastery has several monastery buildings, the chapel of St. Euthymius Patriarch of Tarnovo, agricultural buildings and a well with a shaped dome. Near the church there is a chapel in honor of Jesus Christ, next to which was buried the Metropolitan of Tarnovo Joseph in 1918.
From 1948 until now the monastery is entirely maiden.
Staying in Chamurkov house, you will have a convenient and comfortable starting point for pilgrimage church tourism in the extremely rich area of Veliko Tarnovo.
