Gorna Banya Monastery Saints Cyril and Methodius

Overview

Gorna Banya Monastery of Sts Cyril and Methodius is located a few kilometres west of Gorna Banya quarter, Sofia, in a wooded area on the east-facing slopes of Lyulin Mountain.

The monastery was founded in the middle of the XIII century. During the period of anarchy in the Ottoman Empire, the relics of St King Stefan Milutin were transferred from Sofia to the monastery for safe-keeping and were kept there from 1797 to 1804. Although the relics were eventually returned to the city, the monastery has been permanently linked to the saint’s name.

The monastery church was renovated and inaugurated in 1876 with a dedication to Saints Cyril and Methodius. The murals were done by the naïve artist Kostadin Gerov in 1877.

Damaged by a fire in 1972 which demolished its buildings, the monastery was restored in later years though not to its original form (the original dome is missing).