Lopushanski monastery

The Lopushanski monastery is situated in the Chiprovtzi part of the Stara Planina mountain. Once, there was another monatery in its place, which is thought to have been built during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. But this monastery was completely destroyed during the Ottoman invasion. A legends tells that once there was a watermill near the monastery which often gave shelter and refuge to hajduti (Bulgarian rebels during the Ottoman rule). One day, a father and a daughter made their way to a village near the monastery. On their way, they were chased by an Ottoman and hid in the nearby mill, but the Ottoman found them and assaulted the girl. Fortunately, Ognyan Voivoda was hiding in the monastery, so he came out and killed the Ottoman with an axe, saving the girl. They buried the body in the dunghill behind the water-mill, but unfortunately the greyhound of the Ottoman witnessed the scene. The dog went back to Berkovitza and started yowling in front of its master’s house. His family realized something bad had happened and followed the greyhound to the dunghill, finding the dead body. The Ottomans were so angry that they slaughtered all the priests in the nearby monastery and demolished it. Around 1850, a group of residents from the nearby villages decided to restore the monastery, and gradually rebuilt it into its current form in 1853. The monastery was a favourite place of the famous Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov, who created a part of one of the classics of Bulgarian literature (“Under the Yoke”) during his frequent visits there.