Church & monasterySofia & Western Bulgaria

Boboshevo Monastery, a Tiny Church Covered in 1488 Frescoes

Boboshevo Monastery of St Demetrius is a former monastery on the slopes of Mount Ruen, about 3–4 km north-west of the town of Boboshevo in Kyustendil Province. Only its small church survives, but it is a national monument whose interior is covered with late medieval frescoes. It makes a quiet, rewarding detour from the Struma valley.

Inside, this church measures only about 4 by 2.7 metres, yet almost every surface was painted in 1488. It is all that remains of a monastery that once stood on the pilgrim road from Rila to Mount Athos.

WhereWooded slope of Mount Ruen, about 3–4 km north-west of Boboshevo, Kyustendil Province

TypeFormer Orthodox monastery; the surviving church of St Demetrius (15th century)

Best forFans of medieval frescoes, quiet places and visitors who like short country walks

Getting thereBy road to Boboshevo, then a short drive or walk of about 3–4 km up the hillside

The history of Boboshevo Monastery

The monastery of St Demetrius stands on the wooded north-eastern slope of Mount Ruen, in the Vlahina mountains, not far from the town of Boboshevo. In the Middle Ages it was a station on the pilgrim route from Rila Monastery to Mount Athos. Studies of the church walls show that its foundations were taken over from an earlier building of the second half of the 14th century, so the monastery was probably founded in the 14th century or even before. Its first written mention is in an Ottoman tax register for the Kyustendil sanjak, from 1570–1573.

The monastery's early history is hard to trace because another, much older monastery lay close by. It was founded in the second half of the 9th century or the early 10th century, soon after Bulgaria adopted Christianity, on the northern slope above the village of Skrino. The historian Ivan Kepov suggested in 1935 that St Demetrius was this older house, moved to a new site, but the same Ottoman register lists both monasteries side by side, which argues against that idea. The older one is not mentioned later and was probably abandoned.

The present church was built after 1481, in the reign of Sultan Bayezid II, and the donor's inscription over the door records the frescoes as finished in 1488. The paintings were done by the priest-monk Neofit and his sons, the priests Dimitar and Bogdan, local masters linked to the Ohrid school of painting, and were commissioned by Bishop Jacob of Krupnik. The inscription also says that Neofit painted the church from the vault downwards. Inside, Christ with four angels fills the central medallion of the vault, surrounded by prophets, and below come the great feasts, the Passion cycle, warrior saints and full-length saints. The Dormition of the Virgin is shown on the west wall.

Under Ottoman rule the monastery became an important spiritual and literary centre. The Boboshevo Gospel, copied by the priest-monk Gavril in 1565, comes from it, and the monks early on opened a school for local children. The icons of the iconostasis, dated 1729, are now kept in the crypt of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, and some manuscripts are in the Church History Museum in the capital. In 1864 a narthex was added on the west side, which moved the entrance to the north.

After the Liberation in 1878 the monastery gradually lost importance, the number of monks fell and the Boboshevo municipality, later local priests, took over its care. In the 1930s the complex still had living quarters, a kitchen, a bakery, a granary and farm buildings, and the monastery owned about 694 decares of land on the slopes of Ruen. Over the 20th century the buildings were pulled down, leaving the church and traces of a watermill by the path. The church was declared a monument of national importance, and between the early 2000s and 2007 it underwent a full restoration funded by the A. G. Leventis Foundation and the World Monuments Fund.

Curious facts about Boboshevo Monastery

The nave measures just 4.15 by 2.66 metres inside and is about 5.5 metres high, yet the whole interior apart from the narthex is covered with frescoes.
The painter Neofit, named in the donor's inscription, also decorated the Church of St Nicholas in Kosel near Ohrid.
The name Ruen Monastery once belonged to this house; today it is used for a different, active monastery built above the village of Skrino at the end of the 20th century.
The Boboshevo Gospel of 1565 and the icons of the old iconostasis are now kept in Sofia, in the crypt museum of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
The monastery was a stop on the pilgrim path leading from Rila Monastery to Mount Athos.
The 2000s restoration was a joint effort of Bulgarian conservators with the A. G. Leventis Foundation and the World Monuments Fund.

Tours near Boboshevo Monastery

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Visiting Boboshevo Monastery: what to expect

The church lies on a forested hillside about 3–4 km from Boboshevo and about 16 km south-west of Dupnitsa, so a car makes the trip easiest.
The building is partly sunk into the ground and very small, so only a few people can see the interior at a time.
Look at the vault, where Christ is shown with four angels, and at the west wall, with the Dormition of the Virgin and the sainted rulers Constantine and Helen.
Opening arrangements are not known from the sources, so check the current opening hours and how to get in before you go.
The nearby Ruen Monastery is about 3 km away and can be combined with this visit.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Boboshevo Monastery is

Questions

What is Boboshevo Monastery?

It is a former Orthodox monastery of St Demetrius near the town of Boboshevo in Kyustendil Province. Only its small church survives, decorated with late 15th-century frescoes.

When were the Boboshevo Monastery frescoes painted?

The donor's inscription gives the year 1488, in the reign of Sultan Bayezid II. The church itself was built after 1481.

Where is Boboshevo Monastery?

It stands on the wooded slope of Mount Ruen, about 3–4 km north-west of Boboshevo and about 16 km south-west of Dupnitsa.

Who painted the frescoes at Boboshevo Monastery?

The inscription names the priest-monk Neofit and his sons, the priests Dimitar and Bogdan, local masters of the Ohrid school.

Is the monastery still active?

No. It is a former monastery, and only the church remains. It is a monument of national importance and was restored in the 2000s.

Is there another monastery nearby?

Yes, Ruen Monastery lies about 3 km away. It is an active monastery built above the village of Skrino at the end of the 20th century.