The Klisura Monastery St. Petka

The Klisura Monastery St. Petka is in the outskirts of Sofia, several kilometers from the resort town Bankya. It was built in the 12th century on the old Roman road Sofia – Breznik. According to the legend, the monastery was erected on the place, where in 1238 the procession, carrying the relics of St. Petka, led by the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II, stopped for a rest. The monastery complex includes a church, residential and utility buildings. In the new residential house, built in 1998, the chapel St. Archangel Gabriel is situated. The old church was constructed more than 300 years ago, but in 1956 it collapsed. The today’s church St. Petka was built by the abbess Maria Magdalene. It is one-hall and one-apsis building without dome and narthex. Unfortunately we know little about the history of the monastery, because its archives and library burnt down during large fire in the second half of the last century. The Klisura Monastery St. Petka was made a monument of culture.