The Batkunovo Monastery "Saint Peter and Pavel" lies at a distance of 6 km above the village of Patalenitza, Pazardzhik District on the northern slopes of the Rhodope Mountains. In the region of the settlement there are the remains of the Batkunovo fortress. According to legends, the monastery was established during XI - XII c. In 1657 and 1774 the monastery was burned down by the Turks. It is in the list of the 33 plundered monasteries from the period of the giant action of forced conversion of the Bulgarian people of the Rhodope region to the Muslim religion, described by priest Metodi Draganov in XVII c. From this period are preserved several interesting icons kept in the Plovdiv bishopric. In XIX c. the monastery was renovated. The church is a single-nave, single-apside one without a dome. The carved iconostasis was made in 1809 which is understood by the date of one of the icons on the iconostasis. It is supposed that the icons were made by the founder of the Samokov school Hristo Dimitrov. The iconostasis is covered with masterly-made Revival period carving. Exceptionally beautiful are the royal gates with rich plant and animal decorations. In the narthex of the church there are other icons of high artistic values such as: "The Apostles' Union", "Saint George on a horse", "Saint Haralampii" and others. The great Bulgarian artist Stanislav Dospevski stayed and left some of his works in the monastery.
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Performance of Bulgarian Orthodox Choir
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Icon of St. Peter the Apostle
