Monastery of Cherepish

The "Uspenie Bogorodichno" (The Holy Mother) Monastery of Cherepish is situated in the beautiful gorge of the
Iskar River in the Balkan Mountain. It is located 29 km southeast of Vratsa near the village of Cherepish.

Some time in the past a Medieval fortress called Koriten City was built in the area called Ritlite (The Racks).
According to the legends, there was a great fight with the ottomans. Later, the skeletons of the victims were heaped
in the area of Cherepish monastery, and the name evolved from there.
Proof to this is an inscription, dating from the end of the 14th century. During the Turkish yoke, the monastery
was burnt down several times. Later in the 16th century the iconographer Pimen Zografski restored it.
Despite the reconstructions of the church, it still retains its original design from 1612.
The interior of the church features frescoes dated 1840, painted by an artist from Tryavna called Yoanikii Pope Vitanov.
Remarkable are also the pall, embroidered by Nikolay Pavlovich in 1844, the silver ossuary, the bishop`s throne, etc.

During the Bulgarian national revival, the library in the monastery kept valuable ancient manuscripts.
The most interesting Gospel of Cherepish with a gold- plated repousse cover, dating from 1612,
has been preserved up to the present day. In 1762, the Pope Thodor Vrachanski composed a collection
of sermons and lecturings, called Margarit.

The Cherepish monastery is a monument with cultural and religious importance.

Source: visit.bg