The Klisura Monastery St. St. Cyril and Methodius

The Klisura Monastery St. St. Cyril and Methodius is located 11 km. of Berkovitsa, on the road of the town of Varshets. According to the chronicle book of the Klisura holy cloister from 1905, on the spot of the today’s monastery, there were walls of an old church and ruins of a monastery, existing centuries ago and known among the local people as Pustiya Monastery (the Desert Monastery). Most likely the Klisura Monastery was built during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. An ancient inscription was found, showing that 1240 was the year of its foundation. At the beginning of the Ottoman slavery it was destroyed and the place was forgotten for long time. In 1869, after having a vision, Ilia Stoyanov from the village of Draganitsa decided that the monastery had to be restored. For his assistant, the Metropolotan Dorotey assigned the monk Antim. Subsequently, he became the first abbot of the Klisura Monastery St. St. Cyril and Methodius. For the building of the monastery complex, Antim gave BGN 27 000, saved from trade and heritage. Many masters from the neighbouring villages helped voluntarily in the building. In 1891 the temple was officially inaugurated by the Metropolitan of the city of Vidin. The icons of the monastery are from the 18-19th century. The monastery complex comprises three large residential buildings. In addition, it has own farm, where horses, cows, sheeps, pigs and hens are bred.