Arapovo Monastery
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
The Arapovo Monastery of Saint Nedelya (Bulgarian: Араповски манастир „Света Неделя“, Arapovski manastir „Sveta Nedelya“) is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery lying some six kilometres east of the town of Asenovgrad in central southern Bulgaria. Founded in the mid-19th century, it belongs to the Plovdiv eparchy of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and was named after the nearby village of Arapovo, today known as Zlatovrah.[1]
Construction of the monastery began around 1856 and was initiated by the hieromonk Sophronius. The location was selected due to the presence of a holy spring nearby. The monastical school was founded in 1859, the same year the monastery's main church was completed. Architecturally, the Arapovo Monastery bears a strong resemblance to the Gorni Voden Monastery; the architect who headed the construction was master Stoyu from Yugovo. The main painter was Vasil Levski's associate Georgi Danchov, who was assisted by Aleksi Atanasov.[1]
The monastery's main church, dedicated to Saint Nedelya, is a large three-naved, three-apsed and cross-domed church.[1] Another feature of the monastery is the sizable stone tower in its inner yard. The rectangular tower has been linked to the famous hajduk leader Angel Voyvoda who is known to have been a ktitor of the monastery. The tower has three storeys. The lower two were constructed entirely of stone and feature narrow windows intended for defensive purposes, while the top storey is a wooden bay-windowed construction with four rooms designed for habitation.
Gallery
-
Arapovo-monastery-fortress.jpg
Exterior of the Arapovo Monastery
-
Arapovski monastery angel voivodes tower.jpg
Angel Voyvoda's Tower
-
Arapovski monastery the church.jpg
Main church
-
Arapovski the holy spring.jpg
Holy spring chapel
-
Arapovski view from the yard.jpg
View from the inner yard
References
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing Bulgarian-language text
- Churches completed in 1859
- 19th-century Christian monasteries
- Christian monasteries in Bulgaria
- Bulgarian Orthodox monasteries
- Buildings and structures in Plovdiv Province
- 1850s establishments in Bulgaria
- Visitor attractions in Plovdiv Province