The Kremikovtsi Monastery of Saint George ( bg, Кремиковски манастир „Свети Георги“, ''Kremikovski manastir „Sveti Georgi“'') is a

Bulgarian Orthodox The Bulgarian Orthodox Church ( bg, Българска православна църква, translit=Balgarska pravoslavna tsarkva), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria ( bg, Българска патриаршия, links=no, translit=Balgarsk ...

monastery near Kremikovtsi to the northeast of the

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

n capital

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

. Founded during the Second Bulgarian Empire (12th–14th century) and re-established in 1493 by a local Bulgarian noble, the monastery includes two churches. Of these, the older medieval church is notable for its highly regarded 15th-century frescoes.

History

The Kremikovtsi Monastery lies on a hill from the former village of Kremikovtsi, now an outlying neighbourhood of Sofia. Kremikovtsi is located just northeast of Sofia, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains. The monastery was founded during the Second Bulgarian Empire, perhaps in the mid-14th century on the order of

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

Ivan Alexander (r. 1331–1371). With the Ottoman conquest of the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

in the end of the 14th century, the Kremikovtsi Monastery was destroyed in 1398. The monastery was re-established in 1493 by the Bulgarian boyar Radivoy from Sofia and the

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the ...

of Sofia at the time, Kalevit. Radivoy's act constitutes direct evidence that the medieval Bulgarian aristocracy was retained to some extent during the early years of Ottoman rule. The monastery church was rebuilt from crushed stone as a single-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

church without a dome. Radivoy dedicated the church to his two perished children, Teodor and Dragana. Shortly after the church's reconstruction, its

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt in 1503. The church suffered further damage (particularly to its south wall) during earthquakes which impacted the region of Sofia in the 16th and 17th century, and was repaired in 1611. An exonarthex was added in the 18th century. Inside the monastery courtyard next to the small original church lies a new and bigger one, dedicated to the Intercession of the Mother of God. Along with other new facilities, it was constructed in 1901–1902 to serve the monastery's new inhabitants, 20 nuns from

Vardar Macedonia Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian and sr, Вардарска Македонија, ''Vardarska Makedonija'') was the name given to the territory of the Kingdom of Serbia (1912–1918) and Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) roughly corresponding to to ...

who had arrived in 1879.

Art and culture

The old church features frescoes from several periods on its interior walls. The first layer of mural art was ordered by Radivoy and includes a donor's ('' ktetor's'') portrait of Radivoy and his family presenting a model of church together with Kalevit. The frescoes from this period, which are mostly to be found in the east side of the narthex, are regarded among the most precious Bulgarian art from the 15th century. They have been described as accurate and convincing in their portrayal and as having a warm palette. Additional frescoes were done during the 17th and 18th centuries. A mural painting of a seated Saint George resting his feet on a dragon decorates the church's main section. Another image of the same saint (though on horseback) was painted on a niche on the south wall. The main feature of the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

space is a painting of the Theotokos (Mother of God). Besides the original frescoes, another remnant from the monastery's re-establishment is a silver reliquary commissioned by Radivoy in 1493 and later used to house the relics of Saint George the New of Sofia. The reliquary was stolen in 1990, though it was recovered and returned to the monastery ten years later, in 2000. The Kremikovtsi Monastery's set of

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

s ranges in age from the 15th to the 19th century and includes an image of Saint George from 1667 and an image of

Christ Pantocrator In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator ( grc-gre, Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ) is a specific depiction of Christ. ''Pantocrator'' or ''Pantokrator'', literally ''ruler of all'', but usually translated as "Almighty" or "all-po ...

very similar in style to a fresco from 1493, which may link it to the same author. In the 15th century, the Kremikovtsi Monastery was a centre of Bulgarian education and culture. At the time, the monastery housed two schools for laymen and one for clergy. An illustrated Bulgarian manuscript produced in 1497 for Peyu and Petko, two citizens of Sofia, the Kremikovtsi Gospel provides evidence as to the existence of a

calligraphic Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as ...

tradition at the monastery.

References

{{coord, 42, 47, 49.6, N, 23, 30, 27, E, type:landmark_region:BG, display=title
3D Laser scanning of Old church in Monastery
Buildings and structures completed in 1493 15th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Buildings and structures in Sofia Bulgarian Orthodox monasteries Christian monasteries established in the 14th century Christian monasteries in Bulgaria