Shipka Monastery

The central Balkan Mountain Range is home to one of the famous Bulgarian monasteries, namely the Shipka Monastery. The Shipka monastery in Bulgaria is situated nearby the village of Shipka, 8km away from the town of Kazanluk. Named St. Nikolay, the monastery was built in memory of the numerous Russian soldiers and Bulgarian revolutionaries who deceased during the Russian-Turkish Liberation War of 1877-1878. Most of the funds for the construction of the monastery were donated from Bulgarian and Russian donors, headed by Olga Skobeleva, mother of the Russian general Skobelev and count Ignatiev. The first sod was turned in 1885 and the construction of the Shipka Monastery was finished in 1902 under the lead of Russian architects.

Initially, the monastery was Russian property. In 1934 it was donated by the Soviet government to the Bulgarian state. The St Nikolay Church is a true architectural masterpiece, built in the traditional style of 17th-century Russian cathedrals. Its beautiful golden domes and the colourful mosaic decorations can be seen from the nearby villages. St Nikolay Church has a central dome and 4 smaller ones with golden crosses on the top. The belltower with a height of 53 meters and containing 17 bells (the biggest of which weighs nearly 12 tons) rises right next to the western façade of the church. The interior of the church is of no less beauty: there are 24 mosaic plates with the names of the Bulgarians and Russians who died during the battles at the Shipka Peak and in the neighbourhood of Kazanluk.Today, the Shipka monastery operates as a museum and is part of the Shipka-Buzludzha National Park Museum. It does not offer food or accommodation unlike most of the other Bulgarian monasteries.