BY REGION/VILLAGE
Sofia region
Rhodope region
North-Western Bulgaria
North-Central Bulgaria
North-Eastern Bulgaria
South-Western Bulgaria
South-Central Bulgaria
Central Bulgaria
South-Eastern Bulgaria
|
 |
www.RuralBulgaria.com
is a member of the
Bulgarian Association
for Alternative Tourism
|
|
Kilifarevo is a small village in the region of Veliko Tarnovo, which offers accommodation and modern facilities to tourists, along with many historical and cutura places to visit. The village is famous with the School of Letters, which opened doors in the distant year of 1360, situated in the Kilifarevo Monastery. The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Kilifarevo Monastery was found by Teodosii Turnovski and was a centre of Hesychasm (Medieval religious doctrine teaching that unity with God could be achieved through quietness and solitude) and a centre of education and literature. It was repeatedly ruined and destroyed by fire during the years of Ottoman Rule. Its last restoration commenced about the year 1830, Master Kolyu Ficheto taking an active participation. Under his hands were erected the residential part of the building and St. Dimitur Church (1844). The wood carved iconostasis of the church is a genuine piece of art, joint work of Kolyu Ficheto and S. Marangozina.
The village of Kilifarevo is less than 30 min drive to the ancient capital of Bulgaria, the town of Veliko Tarnovo:
The town of Veliko Turnovo is regally situated along the historical hills of Sveta Gora, Tsarevets and Trapezitsa, on the two banks of the Yantra River, cutting a peculiar gorge through Turnovo Hills. It is situated 240 km northeast of Sofia, 46 km northeast of Gabrovo, 42 km northeast of Tryavna and 106 km southwest of Rousse. Veliko Tarnovo was the old metropolis of Bulgaria and a regional administrative centre.
Veliko Turnovo is the town with the most glorious historical past in Bulgaria. It is a symbol of Bulgarian statehood and a source of national pride for every Bulgarian. Each little place in it is history. The earliest traces were found on the Trapezitsa Hill (dating back to first half of the 3rd millennium BC). Remnants on Tsarevets Hill date back to the end of the Bronze Era (13th century BC). This oldest settlement was inhabited by Thracians and existed by the end of the Iron Era. Its prosperity is related to 6th century BC till 1st century AC. Its traces in the first centuries of the Roman Rule are lost on our lands (at the beginning of the new era).
Magnificent palaces, monasteries, churches, fortifications, bridges, big houses were built here. The Turnovo School of Painting and the Turnovo Literary School, developed and carried out their versatile activities here. All the pros perity and spiritual upsurge was discontinued on 17th July 1393, when after a 3month siege Veliko Turnovo, and gradually the whole of Bulgaria succumbed under Ottoman Rule... The Metropolitan town was in ashes. Centuries were to pass before the town was able to recuperate and experience a new economic, cultural and political upsurge during the Revival period.
Crafts developed, trade flour ished, beautiful houses, public buildings, churches, the aspiration for enlightenment and national self-awareness started to find their implementation and the struggle for ecclesiastical and national independence gained strength. Although Sofia became the capital of Bulgaria after the Liberation, Veliko Turnovo continued to be a sanctuary for all Bulgarians, a bastion of Bulgarian national spirit and selfawareness.
Located at the distance of 4 km northeast of Veliko Turnovo is the village of Arbanassi - Architecture and Historical Reserve. Its flourishing as a trade and crafts men's centre was during the 16th to the 18th century when the monumental houses and churches with a rich interior decoration, wood carvings and mural paintings were built. These are unique monuments of our architectural and artistic heritage. The Arbanassi type of houses may be defined as dwellings fortresses.
The Preobrazhenski Monastery is situated at the distance of 7 km north of Veliko Turnovo, under the inaccessible sheer rocks of the left bank of the Yantra River. It flourished during the 14th century and was repeatedly ruined and destroyed by fire during the years of Ottoman Rule and rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century, it is one of the most remarkable monuments of Bulgarian Revival Period architecture and iconography. Preobrazenski Monastery includes 4 churches. The Central Transfiguration Church was started to be built by Master Dimitur Sofialiyata (of Sofia), completed by Master Kolyu Ficheto and painted by Zakhari Zograph (the Iconpainter), two of whose compositions being of a particularly high artistic value "Doomsday" and the "Wheel of Life". The woodcarved iconostasis and the iconostasis icons, work of masters form Tryavna are remarkable, too. The next Annunciation Church was built by the Master Kolyu Ficheto and Stanislav Dospevski painted the icons. Dimitar Sofialiyata built the little underground St. Andrei Church, and the icons were painted by the unique icon painter and woodcarver Papa Vitan, one of the most eminent representatives of the Tryavna School of Art. The last of the monastery churches is Lazar's Ascension Church (of 1891), whose icons were painted by the citizen of Tryavna Ivancho Kunchev. A bell tower with a clock built by Kolyu Ficheto (1860) rises in the courtyard of the monastery. The large bell was a gift by the Russian Emperor Alexander II for the services of the monastery as a Russian military hospital during the Russian Turkish War of Liberation. Some of the most eminent revolutionaries like Matei Preobrazhnski Mitkaloto, Pop Hariton, Father Zotik lived and worked in the monastery. Vasil Levski, Angel Kunchev, Philip Totyu, Stefan Stambolov, Georgi Izmirliev often found in the monastery a safe shelter.
|
|
