Dryanovo Monastery

Dryanovo Monastery of St. Archangel Michael was founded in the l2th century and is in close proximity to the summer residence of the Bulgarian rulers from the Assen dynasty. It has endured many destructions several times during the Ottoman domination. In its today’s site the monastery exists since 1845. The main church was built in 1861. Almost completely ruined after the Ottoman Turks' invasion, the monastery buildings were restored in 1880. Next to the church there is a monument raised in memory of the perished victims in the destruction. In the monastery one can also find a museum exhibition which consists of items from all historical epochs including neolithic finds from a nearby cave.

The historical Drianovo monastery, St Archangel Michael, is situated about 4km away from Dryanovo in the magnificent gorge of the Dryanovo river where limestone rocks rise high on all sides of the gorge.

It is believed that the first monastery in this place was founded some 2km to the north of the today’s buildings, in an area called The Little St Archangel. Its founders were two rebel boyars of the once-capital city of Tarnovo – the Assen and Petar brothers. In the 14th century, the holy place was one of the main centres of Hesychasm and offered shelter many monks. At the beginning of the 15th century, the monastery was destroyed by the invading Ottoman troops. Later on, it was reconstructed on a nearby site, known as the Big St Archangel, but the fate of this monastery was no happier than that of its predecessor. The Drianovo monastery was restored once more at the end of the 17th century, this time in its present-day place. The main church of that time had a single nave and was half-hidden in the ground. It was standing very near to the today’s church; besides it, there was also a secondary shrine.