The Koprivets monastery Reverend Petka Bulgarska

The Koprivets monastery Reverend Petka Bulgarska (Reverend Petka of Bulgaria) is situated near the homonymous village of Koprivets, Byala district. It is part of the Rousse clerical district. The monastery lies in the western part of the Danubian Plain, 16 km away from the town of Byala. According to the legend, the Koprivets monastery was built during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, and is believed to have been the biggest monastery in the district of the medieval town of Cherven, with over 100 nuns and novices. After the Ottomans conquered the fortress of Cherven, the army of Midhad Pasha burned the ancient town and the local monasteries and killed all the monks. The story tells that the last five nuns in the Koprivets cloister were burned along with the monastery. The monastery was rebuilt in 1987- 1989 and inaugurated on October 14, 1989, as St. Petka’s Day became its patron saint’s day.