Dragalevtsi Monastery, the Medieval Tsar's Cloister on Vitosha
Dragalevtsi Monastery of the Holy Mother of God of Vitosha sits among beech forest on the slopes of Vitosha, above the Dragalevtsi district of Sofia. Founded in the mid-fourteenth century by Tsar Ivan Alexander, it became a centre of manuscript copying in Ottoman times. Its small church keeps frescoes of the 1470s, and nuns live here today.
A knight-saint fresco at this monastery shows Saint Demetrius fighting Tsar Kaloyan, the Bulgarian ruler depicted as an enemy of the faith. The tsar who founded the monastery, Ivan Alexander, reigned more than a century later.
The history of Dragalevtsi Monastery
The monastery was founded around 1345 by Tsar Ivan Alexander, in the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It was a stauropegic house, answering directly to the patriarch and freed from taxes and from the interference of local officials and bishops. These oldest records come from the Vitosha Charter issued by Tsar Ivan Shishman, a golden-sealed document that granted the monastery lands and tax exemptions, including the village of Novachene. The house became famous and was called the “Tsar's Monastery”; although it was not a lavra, it ranked highest among the fourteen monasteries of the so-called Sofia Holy Mountain.
Sofia fell to the Ottomans in 1382, and the monastery was burnt and abandoned. It was brought back to life in the second half of the fifteenth century. In 1476 the Sofia nobleman Radoslav Mavar renewed and decorated the church, and the inscription above the door and the donor portraits of Mavar, his wife Vida and their sons Nikola and Strahil are of special value. The monastery soon became a lively centre of writing and education and, from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, the centre of the Sofia literary school.
Many books were copied and created here. A Gospel of 1469 names the house “the place of the Tsar's cloister”, a Gospel of 1534 was written at the expense of the tailor Milich and his wife Vela of Sofia, and a psalter of the sixteenth century was compiled by the brothers Danail, Stoyan and Vlado. The monk Job Kasinets wrote here the Boyana Beadroll, a list of medieval Bulgarian rulers, which the philologist Viktor Grigorovich found in 1854 in the Boyana Church. A cell school with a permanent teacher was founded in the seventeenth century.
In the eighteenth century the church was given new wall paintings, and its iconostasis was carved and installed by masters from the Sofia region. The church was extended to the north in 1818, and in 1932 a new nave was added so that its two parts now form one whole, a cultural monument of national importance.
In 1871–1872, during the founding and work of the Sofia revolutionary committee, Vasil Levski stayed at the monastery many times. The abbot, Hieromonk Gennady, led him to trusted people in the city and the villages where the committees were set up, and carried committee mail, and revolutionary meetings were often held here. Later Exarch Stefan had the residence of the Holy Synod built in the grounds, visited by Tsar Boris III and Prince Kiril. Today the monastery is a convent, and the old church is the only medieval building to survive.
Curious facts about Dragalevtsi Monastery
- A mural in the church shows Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki fighting the Bulgarian tsar Kaloyan, who is depicted as an enemy of the faith.
- The warrior saints Demetrius, George and Mercurius on the upper west facade date from 1475–1476 and wear realistic knightly armour of the period, with spurs on Demetrius and Mercurius.
- The Boyana Beadroll, a list of medieval Bulgarian rulers, was written by a monk of this monastery and was found in 1854 in the Boyana Church.
- Radoslav Mavar, his wife Vida and their sons Nikola and Strahil appear as donors in portraits inside the church.
- The monastery was called the “Tsar's Monastery” and was ranked highest among the fourteen monasteries of the Sofia Holy Mountain, though it was not a lavra.
- Vasil Levski stayed here many times in 1871–1872, and the abbot guided him to supporters in Sofia and the villages.
Tours near Dragalevtsi Monastery
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Dragalevtsi Monastery: what to expect
- The monastery lies among beech forest on the slopes of Vitosha, reached by a paved road from the Dragalevtsi district of Sofia.
- Only the monastery church survives from the medieval complex; the other buildings around it are new, in Bulgarian national style.
- Look for the donor portraits of Radoslav Mavar and his family, the knight-saint frescoes on the upper west wall and the 19th-century icons by Nikola Obrazopisov.
- This is a working convent, so dress modestly and check the current opening hours and visiting conditions before you go.
- Boyana Church lies about 4 km away, and the Battenberg Mausoleum, the Monument to the Soviet Army and Seven Saints Church are about 8 km away.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Dragalevtsi Monastery is
Photos of Dragalevtsi Monastery
Questions
What is Dragalevtsi Monastery?
Dragalevtsi Monastery of the Holy Mother of God of Vitosha is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery on the slopes of Vitosha above Sofia. It was founded in the 14th century by Tsar Ivan Alexander and is inhabited by nuns today.
Who founded Dragalevtsi Monastery and when?
Tsar Ivan Alexander founded it around 1345, in the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It was first recorded in a charter issued by Tsar Ivan Shishman.
What can you see inside the church?
The small church keeps 15th-century frescoes, among them the donor portraits of Radoslav Mavar and his family and warrior saints on the west wall. Its icons are by the 19th-century painter Nikola Obrazopisov.
Why is the monastery important for Bulgarian culture?
From the 14th to the 16th century it was a centre of the Sofia literary school, where Gospels, a psalter and the Boyana Beadroll were written.
What is the connection with Vasil Levski?
In 1871–1872 Levski stayed at the monastery many times while the Sofia revolutionary committee was founded, and the abbot guided him to trusted people.
What else is worth seeing near Dragalevtsi Monastery?
Boyana Church is about 4 km away. The Battenberg Mausoleum, the Monument to the Soviet Army and Seven Saints Church are about 8 km away.
Also nearby
Boyana Church
Sofia · tiny medieval church with 240 lifelike painted figures
4 km away
Seven Saints Church
Sofia · a mosque turned church, built over a Roman shrine
8 km away
Monument to the Soviet Army
Sofia · Cold War memorial, repainted often, partly dismantled
8.5 km away
Battenberg Mausoleum
Sofia · neo-baroque tomb of Bulgaria's first prince
8.5 km away