
The Seven Altars Monastery – Natural Landmark
The Osenovlashky monastery is also known as the monastery of the Seven Altars. It is situated at a distance of about 41 kilometers from the town of Svoge and about 83 kilometers from Sofia. The monastery was founded in the 11th century and was a cultural and educational center over the centuries – books were re-written in it, and at the end of the 18th century Sofroniy of Vratza, a Bulgarian cleric and national Revival leader resided there.
The oldest preserved building in the monastery is its main church, which is believed to be built in the 10th- 11th century. Over the years the church and the monastery were destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly. The church has existed in its present form since 1815. The name of the monastery comes from the specific division of the church – a nave and six cross altars (chapels). The fret worked iconostasis of the church and the chapels date back to the 17th – 18th century and are decorated with floral ornaments, animals and biblical stories. The icons with fret worked frames were made by local craftsmen. One of the most interesting masterpieces is the wooden chandelier “Horo”, made in 1815. The chandelier consists of 15 colored elements, with scenes, carved on them.
A large scale construction began in the monastery in the 19th century, during which the residential and farm buildings were constructed. The memorial day of the temple is the 8th of September – The Navity of the Virgin Mary.
The monastery is situated under the Balkan peak Izdremets (1,492 meters above the sea level) and is surrounded by ancient forests. The monastery and the surrounding areas were declared a natural landmark by Order No 3384 of 8 December 1966. It was also declared a monument of art by issue 101 of the State Gazette in 1971.
Throughout the year –
07.30 am – 06.00 pm
The hostess of the monastery provides guided tours in Bulgarian language – free of charge.
There’s a board sign at the entrance, telling the history of the monastery in English and Bulgarian language.
The Seven Altars Monastery
Tel: +359 877198517
+359 0888316512
The Seven Altars are easily reachable by car from Sofia, by following the path to Mezdra through the Iskar Gorge. There’s a turnoff at the village of Eliseyna through a railway crossing, leading to an asphalt road, 12 kilometers long, leading to the village of Osenovlag and the gates of the monastery.
The hostess of the Osenovlashki Monastery provides guided tours in Bulgarian to the interest of the visitors.
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER – SOFIA
Contacts
Tel: +359 2 4918344
Tel: +359 2 4918345
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.info-sofia.bg
Sofia City, the underpass of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
Services
The basic task of the Tourist Information Center department is:
Information and advertising activity, aiming to popularize the tourist destination of Sofia by means of:
providing free information and advertising materials about Sofia City to Bulgarian and foreign tourists
providing up-to-date and detailed information about current and upcoming events of the cultural and business life of the city
collecting, processing and providing general and specialized tourist information, which facilitates the orientation of the city guests and assisting their choice of places for relaxation, tourism or entertainment
development and distribution of image and product advertising materials
maintenance and updating of the information and the advertising applications, installed at the public kiosks, located in the Cultural and Information Center – Sofia
playing of advertising movies about Sofia on a video board, installed at the window of the information center
Virtual map
Pictures
© All images, advertising and video materials and/or other information published on this website are property of the Ministry of Tourism and are protected by the Law on Copyright and Related Rights, according to the Bulgarian laws to all applicable international and relevant acts of the European Union.