Kokalyane Monastery

The Kokalyane monastery St. Archangel Michael is also know as the Urvich monastery. It is located in a picturesque region in Plana Planina mountain, about 4 km southeast from the Village of Kokalyane, and some 6 km northeast from the village of Jeleznitza. Originally, it is dated back to the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. According to legends and historical data, it was built in the 11th century, during the ruling of King Samuil. During the Ottoman Yoke, the cloister was set on fire twice. It was completely restored following Bulgaria’s Liberation, and the new church was built in 1896 I nthe place of the old one, which was destroyed in 1858. A famous relic, the so-called Urvich Collection, consisting of laudatory words for Archangels Michael and Gavriil (including the one written by the famous man of letters, Kliment of Ohrid) was found in the Kokalyane monastery. In 1969, the monastery was declared a monument of culture.