The Sokolovo Monastery is situated along the northern slopes of the Stara Planina. In 1833 Yosif Sokolski together with the hierarch-monk Agapii restored this ancient monastery. The monastery's complex is spread at two different levels separated from one another. The builder of the monastery skillfully used the terrain characteristics and built the monastery's church at the lower platform, surrounded to the east, south and west by steep rocks. At the entrance of the western wall there is a memorial inscription telling that the temple was decorated in October 1862 by the painters priest Pavel Zograf and his son Nikola from the town of Shipka. The painting style of the priest and his son is rather primitive with bright, clear colors with diversions from setting and compositional rules. There are interesting icons on the iconostasis and next to it. These icons tell that famous Revival period artists came to work in the monastery during XIX c.
The housing and farming buildings are located on the upper platform. They were built in a Revival period style with bay-windows, wooden verandas and staircases. They encompassed the big monastery's yard in the middle of which there is a beautiful fountain, built by Kolyo Ficheto. During the Revival Period the Sokolovo Monastery had a huge educational activity. With the efforts of the abbot of the monastery a school was established where the children from the adjacent villages studied. Today almost all the housing buildings of the Sokolovo monastery have been restored, representing the Revival Period outlook of the monastery.
If you want to hear Bulgarian Orthodox Chants, listen to the video.
If you want to buy CD disk with Bulgarian Orthodox Chants click here.
If you want to buy a voucher for concert performed by Orthodox Choir click here.
If you want to buy a Bulgarian Orthodox icon with certificate click here.
Icon of the Entry into Jerusalem
