In the heart of Northern Bulgaria, near the town of Gabrovo, lies the Sokolsky Monastery “Assumption of the Virgin Mary,” also known as the Gabrovsko-Sokolski or Gabrovski Monastery. This active convent, a beacon of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, was founded in the early months of 1833 by the enigmatic Joseph Sokolski.
A Sanctuary in the Wilderness
Perched in the scenic locale known as Sokolova Cave, the monastery is cradled by the upper reaches of the Yantra River, among the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains. It’s located just 4 kilometers south of the ethnographic village of Etara and 12 kilometers southeast of Gabrovo. Though secluded, this spiritual haven is accessible by bus, and adventurous souls can traverse marked trails from Etara in under two hours, guided by the whispering winds and the serene beauty of the landscape.
The name Sokolova Cave, a place shrouded in mystique, bestows its title upon both the monastery and its founder, Archimandrite Joseph Sokolski.
The Birth of a Sacred Institution
The Sokolsky Monastery’s origins date back to 1833, brought to life by the visionary Archimandrite Joseph, who would later rise to prominence in the struggle for ecclesiastical autonomy as the Uniate Archbishop Joseph Sokolski. His journey began in the Troyan Monastery, from where he, accompanied by Hieromonk Agapios, returned to his homeland with a mission that would forever change the spiritual landscape.
The church and the first residential building were crafted by the renowned master builder Konstantin from Peshtera. This same artisan would later leave his mark on the grand churches of the Troyan and Batoshevo Monasteries. Within the courtyard, amidst the monastic dwellings, stands the famous Sokolska Fountain, a masterpiece attributed to the legendary master Nikola Fichev.
The Rise of a Cultural and Revolutionary Hub
On August 15, 1834, the newly established monastery was solemnly inaugurated by Metropolitan Hilarion of Tarnovo. Just two years later, Joseph Sokolski opened a school within the monastery’s walls, where the revered Neophyte Bozveli served as a teacher for a brief period. This sacred place also became a center of literary activity under Sokolski’s guidance. Deacon Hilarion was dispatched to Tarnovo to study the Psalter and to seek out and prepare teachers, thus ensuring the intellectual and spiritual growth of the community.
The monastery’s influence extended beyond education. On July 31, 1856, Captain Dyado Nikola’s band of revolutionaries established their base here, intending to make it the epicenter of a planned uprising. The banner of the revolution was consecrated within these hallowed walls. Even the legendary Vasil Levski found refuge in this sanctuary.
A Church Transformed
For years, the church within the Sokolsky Monastery stood bare, devoid of decoration—no frescoes, no ornate iconostasis, with a floor in disrepair. The Russian Vice-Consul from Plovdiv, Naiden Gerov, who visited the monastery during its feast day on August 15, 1858, was appalled by the neglect. The church, he noted with dismay, lacked even a proper icon of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, leaving it spiritually impoverished.
However, change was on the horizon. In 1862, Father Pavel Zograf and his son Nikola from the village of Shipka in Kazanlak adorned the church’s nave and narthex with vibrant frescoes. That same year, a new iconostasis, crafted by the esteemed artisans of the Tryavna School—Ioaniki Papa Vitanov, Simeon Tsonev, and others—was installed. The iconostasis, which cost 2,500 groschen, was adorned with six large royal icons and fifteen smaller festive icons. In the dome, the figure of Jesus Christ was majestically depicted. The church’s patronal icon, painted by Gabrovo artist Hristo Tsokev and donated by him, was inscribed with the words: “Painting by H. Tsokev, Gabrovo, August 8, 1880.” In 1868, the renowned Usta Kolyu Ficheto constructed a stone fountain, now a treasured architectural monument.
The Monastery in Times of War and Revolution
On May 1, 1876, the rebels of the voivode Tsanko Dyustabanov gathered at the monastery, and from here, the Gabrovo detachment embarked on its fateful journey during the April Uprising of 1876. The monastery became a sanctuary for Dyustabanov’s band. Blessed by the monks, they marched into battle in the villages of Kravenik and Novo Selo. The Turks eventually crushed the band, hanging eight of the rebels on the cliffs near the monastery, their bodies cast into the abyss. Dyustabanov himself was hanged in Tarnovo.
During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), the monastery was transformed into a military hospital, tending to the wounded and suffering.
A Place of Transformation
From its founding until 1959, the Sokolsky Monastery was a male institution, home to over 100 monks. The monastic brotherhood was led by 15 abbots. In 1839, Archimandrite Joseph Sokolski founded the Convent of the Holy Annunciation in Gabrovo, which was tragically demolished in 1959 by the communist regime in Bulgaria. The nuns were relocated to the Sokolsky Monastery, where, in 1968, they established a chapel dedicated to the Holy Annunciation. Within this chapel, they displayed the preserved iconostasis and the icons of “Jesus Christ” and “The Virgin Mary with the Child,” painted by Zahari Zograf, thus continuing the monastery’s legacy of spiritual and artistic devotion.
