Rojen Monastery

The Rojen monastery is about 5km away from the small town of Melnik up in the lower part of the Pirin mountain. The Rojen monastery is the biggest sanctuary in the Pirin region and one of the few Bulgarian monasteries which origin dates back to the Middle Ages, which is relatively preserved up to present days.

According to annals kept in Atone, Greece, the monastery is built somewhere in 890 AC – for comparison, the biggest monastery in Bulgaria, the Rila monastery, is considered to have been opened in 917 AC. The church of the monastery, named St Birth of Virgin Mary, later gave its name to the nearby village of Rojen (Rojen coming from the root of the Bulgarian word for birth, ‘Rojdestvo’). During the rule of Despot Aleksii Slav, governor of the region at the time of Tzar Kaloyan (1197-1207) and Kaloyan’s nephew, the monastery’s complex was enriched with a number of buildings.

The monastery was burnt and destroyed in the early 17th century, but was rebuilt in the beginning of the 18th century due to donation of wealthy Bulgarians from all over the country. The renovation began in 1715, with the church having been entirely reconstructed in 1732. The apogee of the monastery occured in the 19th century when it served as a regional spiritual centre and had numerous estate holdings in the area.

The end of the monastery’s fame was put by the local revolutionary, Yane Sandanski. Nowadays, the monastery is well maintained and open to visitors all year round. The monastery’s holiday is on September 8, when people from all over the country gather to participate in the celebrations.
The monastery does not offer food or accommodation. However, just 500 meters down the road to the monastery there is a guesthouse with a restaurant because Melnik, which is about 5km away, is a popular tourist destination with a rich choice of accommodation and catering.