Gabrovo-Sokolski Monastery

The Gabrovo-Sokolski monastery is situated high among the northern slopes of Stara Planina mountain. It was established in 1833 by archimandrite Joseph. He cam here from the Troyan monastery together with the priest- monk Agapius. Next to the entrance of the nearby cave, they built a small wooden church. In 1834, on the same spot, with the support of the people from the villages in the region, they built a big temple – a remarkable monument of Bulgarian architecture from the National Revival period. In the middle of the vast monastery yard, filled with flowers and greenery, there is a white-stone fountain with seven spouts. It was built in 1868 by the famous Bulgarian master Kolyu Fitcheto.