Franciscan monastery

Overview

St. Elizabeth's Monastery is a functioning Catholic monastery and home to the Franciscan Sisters. It is located in the General Nikolaevo district of the town of Rakovski and is located next to the Catholic Church "Sacred Heart of Christ".

After the change of political regime in Bulgaria in 1989, the Franciscan Sisters decided to resume their mission in Bulgaria, which was interrupted in 1949. The Sisters turned to Bishop Georgi Yovchev to show them a place where they could develop their pastoral work. The parish "Sacred Heart of Jesus" in the town of Rakovski was chosen, where the parish priest is Father Petar Izamski.

The mission of Franciscan nuns in Rakovski was founded on March 11, 1992. It was originally housed in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On August 3 of the same year the construction of a monastery building began. The monastery was consecrated in 1995.

The Order of Missionary Sisters has missions in 21 countries around the world, and the Bulgarian branch belongs to the so-called Oriental Province, which also includes Cyprus and Lebanon.

The sisters from the monastery teach religion and foreign languages ​​in extracurricular activities at the Hristo Smirnenski Primary School. The head of the monastery is Sister Deodata Donati.

On May 6, 2019, during the Apostolic Pilgrimage of Pope Francis in Bulgaria, the Pope had lunch with the Bulgarian Catholic bishops in the monastery.