The Trojan Monastery “Assumption of the Virgin Mary” is a stavropegial monastery of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, founded no later than the end of the 16th century.
Nestled on the picturesque banks of the Cherni Osam River, in the village of Oreshak, a mere 10 km from Troyan, this monastery stands as the third largest in Bulgaria.
Foundations and Early History
Founded around 1600 by Abbot Kalistrat, though possibly earlier, legend speaks of monks from Athos who journeyed to Wallachia with the monastery’s sacred relic – the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary Troeruchitsa, a copy of the ancient miraculous icon from the Hilandar Monastery (14th century). The Trojan Monastery quickly flourished. A wooden church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, monastic residential wings, and a small guest house were soon erected. However, during the time of Abbot Kalistriy from Lovech, the monastery was devastated by a Turkish band, and the abbot himself was killed.
Growth and Prosperity in the 18th Century
During the first half of the 18th century, the monastery saw renewed growth and economic prosperity. A cell school began operating here, gaining renown after 1765 under the leadership of teacher Nikola Varbanov. Simultaneously, Abbot Hristofor from Sopot initiated major constructions, reinforcing the wooden church and constructing new buildings, along with establishing a water supply system in 1771. By 1780, another Sopot native, Abbot Pahomiy, organized the construction of a new, stone main church.
Chronicles and Expansion
A monastery chronicle from 1835 notes: “The beginning of the Troyan monastery was after many years since the fall of the Bulgarian kingdom. An unknown monk, a Bulgarian by origin, came from an unknown region, settled in the mountainous wilderness with his sole disciple. After building a simple hut and living there for many years, he became known to the local people.”
By the early 19th century, the monastery had grown significantly. Its residential wings, enclosing the courtyard, were two to three stories high—a rarity for that era. In the northwest corner stood a residential-defense tower. Most of these buildings were constructed by Abbot Paisiy, who served from 1785 for 32 years. He also built the “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker” hermitage to the east. Another abbot, Parthenius, erected a new enclosing wall in 1820, but was accused by Vidin’s Dervish Pasha of building a fortress to aid Ipsilanti and was imprisoned for several months in Lovech. On December 4, 1830, after persistent efforts by the clergy, the Troyan Monastery was recognized as stavropegial, directly subordinated to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The New Main Church
In 1832, Abbot Parthenius established a new, second hermitage “St. John the Forerunner,” known as “Zelenikovets” after the local area. Donations for constructing a new main church were collected in the same year. Major donors included h. Peter Balyuv from Troyan, Spas Marinov, Stoyan Chalyakoglu Beylikchi from Koprivshtitsa, h. Mihail from Teteven, and Pencho Popovich from Tryavna. The sultan’s decree for this construction was secured with the help of Stoyan Beylikchi in March 1835. The main church was built on the site of an older one by the renowned Revival builder Konstantin from Peshtera. It was consecrated on August 6, 1835, by Metropolitan Hilarion of Tarnovo in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Between 1847 and 1848, it was adorned with frescoes by Zahari Zograf, who left donor portraits and his self-portrait on the northern interior wall, as well as the composition “The Wheel of Life” on the northern exterior wall. In the early 20th century, it was repainted by Kazanlak artist Petko Ganin. The construction was on a site about twenty meters north of the old church, in the monastery cemetery zone. Thus, a vaulted ossuary was formed under the altar tract in the building’s substructure.
The Bell Tower and Later Developments
The five-story monastery tower with a belfry, completed by master Ivan (Yonko) Stoynov Kamburov from Mlechevo in 1866, had its demolished parts restored in 1987. The residential buildings of the Troyan Monastery are built of wood in the Revival style.
A Center of Revolutionary Activity
Vasil Levski founded a private revolutionary committee here. Although the monastery did not participate directly in the April Uprising, as Turkish troops were stationed there, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, monks and local people supported General Pavel Kartsov’s detachment during the Balkan crossing.
