Dragalevtsi Monastery

The Dragalevtsi monastery, named “Virgin Mary of Vitosha”, is situated at the foot of the beautiful Vitosha Mountain about 3 km south of the village of Dragalevtsi, which currently is officially a neighborhood of Sofia. The monastery’s origin dates back to 1345, the time of the Second Bulgarian State and the rule of King Ivan Alexander (1331-1371). By that time there was an entire monastery complex known as “Sofia Sveta Gora” but it was destroyed by during the Ottoman invasion at the end of the century when the Second Bulgarian State went extinct. Its restoration begun soon after that, in 1476, headed by a Sofia boyar, Radoslav Mavar.

During the reconstruction process, the monastery church was decorated with beautiful frescoes, most of which have been preserved to present days and are of great cultural value. In the 17th century, the central part of the church was decorated with new wall paintings. In 1932 a new building was attached to the church and today the two architecturally different parts represent an integral whole. In addition to its valuable frescoes from three different time periods, the monastery is also famous for hosting a so-called cell school during the Ottoman rule, and producing the Dragalevtsi Testament. The monastery and its inmates took active part in the Bulgarian Liberation movement against the Ottoman domination. Genadii, the abbot of the monastery, was a close friend and collaborator of the Bulgarian Apostle of Freedom Vassil Levski, and helped him actively in the organisation of revolutionary committees in the Sofia region. Nowadays the monastery is an excellent site for tourism and relaxation, although it does not offer food or accommodation. Instead, the nearby village of Dragalevtsi has numerous restaurants and pubs.