Glozhene Monastery

The Glozhene Monastery lies 3 km southwest of the Glozhen village and 13km southeast of Yablanitsa.

Usually monasteries tuck away in the mountain’s recesses. However,
Glozhene Monastery is perched on a vertical rock, which is a part of
stone massif called “Lisets”. The stone terraces of the monasteries
afford a splendid view.

The legend recounts that the Russian prince Glozh founded a
settlement of his name in the outskirts of the Vith river. There he
built the monastery of “St. Transfiguration”; it existed till the 17th
century when the Ottomans began their attacks. To avoid the Ottoman’s
onslaughts, the monks built their cloister on a rock terrace, which was
almost inaccessible. In 1904 and 1913 the primary monastery church was
destroyed by two earthquakes. So you can enter the precincts of the
monastery only passing a stone tunnel called “Crossed rock”. In one of
the monk cells there is a rectangular deep niche, probably a deacon’s
niche in which were hidden the most precious things of the church. In
the neighbouring village of Malak izvor (Little spring), the monks
founded a nunnery and a monastery school. Facts of great importance are
the foundation of a Bulgarian monastery school and a nunnery in the
town of Lovech.

The Monastery of Glozhene has been declared a monument of culture.

Source: visit.bg