Bistretski Monastery St. Ivan Rilski

Overview

The Bistretski Monastery of St. Ivan Rilski Hermit is also known as St. Ivan Kasinets and St. John Pusti. The monastery is located at the foot of the Vratsa Balkan, 6 km west of Vratsa, above the Bistrets district, whence comes one of its names. According to ancient legend, there was a Thracian sanctuary in the vicinity of the monastery. Probably there were also monastery buildings from the time of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. The monastery was devastated by the Ottoman invasion, and two more times later. From the frescoes with inscriptions in the rock wreath above the monastery, it is known that it was restored in 1540 by Dimitar Dubov. In the period 17-19 century the Bistrets Monastery housed a cell school, where Joseph Bradati and Todor Vrachanski worked.

Years after one of the devastation, the monastery was renovated in 1867 during the time of Hieromonk Joasaph. In the period 1894-1928 the monastery was abandoned by its monks, and in 1928 it was consecrated with a new name - "St. Ivan Rilski". The monastery lasted until 1980, when the last monk who took care of the holy monastery, was killed. After 1990, treasure hunters dug everything around in search of gold, destroyed the altar and destroyed valuable murals from the life of St. Demetrius. The buildings to the monastery, the magernitsa and the water supply system were also destroyed.
The last restoration of the monastery began in 2005 and lasted until 2009, as the church "St. Ivan Rilski - Pusti" was consecrated on 7.IX.2008.
Currently the monastery is active and is inhabited by a monk.
The church is the best preserved of the old monastery complex, the buildings to it were built during its last renovation, almost nothing of the old buildings remained.