I originally booked on a trip to Bachkovo Monastery and Asen’s Fortress through the Enjoy Plovdiv agency who are based in Plovdiv. I had to postpone this trip due to Covid restrictions but was told that I could rebook when the Covid restrictions were over. However when I attempted to do this they never replied to any of my emails. So it goes without saying that I do NOT recommend this company. GAH- BOO!
I booked the trip again with http://www.plovdivtrips.com and Kamen who looked after us was absolutely brilliant! YAY!
The trip to the fortress and the monastery takes half a day so you should be back in time for lunch. There are some steep walky bits at the fortress so you need to have sturdy leggies. You head to the fortress first and the monastery follows.
Asen’s Fortress
The small medieval fortress occupies a spectacular position in the Rhodope Mountains. It’s origins go back as far as the 11th Century and it was restored by Tsar Ivan Asen II in the 13th century. The fortress and domed church has been restored again in the 20th Century after years of decay. The views over the valley and mountains are amazing.
Bachkovo Monastery
The UNESCO listed Bachkovo Monastery is nestled in the Rhodope Mountains and is the second biggest Monastery in Bulgaria after the Rila Monastery. The monastery was founded in 1083 and funded by Tsar Ivan II. It has two handsome courtyards with a church in each. Some sections of the monastery are closed to the public in order to protect and preserve the delicate frescoes.
The 17th Century Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa is in the middle of the courtyard in front of the main entrance to the monastery. There are some wonderful graphic frescoes inside as well as ornate carvings and stunning iconostasis.
The large panoramic mural on the outside of the refectory wall was painted in 1846 and depicts the procession with the Icon of the Virgin, which occurs annually on 15th August.
The second courtyard to the left contains the 17th Century Church of Sveti Nikola. The porch wall is adorned with a wonderful fresco depicting sinners descending into the fires of hell.
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