Preobrazhenski Monastery (the Monastery of the Transfiguration)

Overview

Preobrazhenski Monastery (the Monastery of the Transfiguration — Preobrazhenie) is the biggest of the monasteries around Veliko Turnovo and the fourth largest in the country. It lies at a distance of 7 km from Veliko Turnovo.

It was founded in the 11th century as a convent of the  Vatopedi Monastery but became autonomous about 1360 when Tsaritsa Theodora-Sarah (the Jewess whom Ivan Alexander married as his second wife) and her son Tsar Ivan Shishman gave a lot of money for its reconstruction and redevelopment. That is why it is also called Sarah's or Shishman's monastery.

It was built on the present site in 1825 by Father Zotik, a monk from Rila Monastery. Its buildings rise around a rectangular paved court, shaded by old pergolas. The construction of the principal church began in 1834 and was assigned to Dimitar Sofianliata, who took part in Velcho's Conspiracy (1835), and was hung, consequently.

The church was completed by Master Kolyu Ficheto who continued the work of building the monastery. In 1857 he built the south-eastern wing and the main entrance with a colonnade. In 1861 the belfry with a clock was erected. The construction works continued after the Libera­tion from Ottoman rule. The cemetery Chapel was com­pleted in 1891.

The frescoes were painted by Zachari Zograph, the Samokov icon painter, in 1849 — 1851. He also painted the large icons of the iconostasis. He left his signature in the lower righthand corner of the church icons, and painted his self-portrait, next to those of SS. Cyril and Methodius. "The wheel of life" is one of the most popular murals and it is painted on the outside of the church. The open-work car­ving of the royal altar gates is particularly beautiful.

During the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation (1877— 1878) an army hospital was quartered in the Monastery. In gratitude for its hospitality after the Liberation the Russian troops presented bells, chandeliers and liturgical books for the church to the Monastery. The Monastery possesses valuable icons, painted by the Tryavna Iconpainter Papa Vitan the Younger, and Stanislav Dospevski, the Samokov icon painter, who had studied abroad and was Zachari Zograph's nephew.

In 1991, a gigantic boulder fell from the cliff above and broke into smaller pieces before crushing a few monastic cells. One large chunk split in two and the pieces miraculously ended up on either side of the central church. Fortunately, no one was hurt.