Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

The St. Archangel Michael Monastery of Kokalyane, a holy place steeped in history and legend

Photo: library

The St. Archangel Michael Monastery of Kokalyane is a little corner of paradise, located in Mount Plana near the capital city Sofia. The cloister was probably built during the reign of Tsar Samuil at the end of the 10th century. According to legend, while he was hunting in the area, Samuil killed a doe which shed heavy tears before it died. The Tsar was so moved that he ordered a monastery to be erected on the spot in honour of St. Archangel Michael, the guardian of souls who waged war on evil.

During the Ottoman invasion Kokalyane Monastery was destroyed. In the 14th century it was restored, even though in the course of almost 500 years it was attacked and raided multiple times. In 1898 a new church was erected on the spot where the old church once stood.

In our day there is a church here, as well as two chapels - The Assumption and St. Ivan of Rila, as well as residential and farm buildings. In 2000 a bell tower was built in the yard. The St. Archangel Michael keeps unique relics connected with the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185 –1393) and Tsar Ivan Shishman – the last Bulgarian ruler before the Ottoman invasion of Bulgaria.

The Monastery of Kokalyane has two patron saints’ days – on 8 November, the day of St. Archangel Michael, and on 15 August – the Feast of the Assumption. The monastery has been declared a monument of culture.

Fine out more about this holy place, steeped in legend HERE.

Compiled by Veneta Nikolova



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The tradition of sending Easter cards in Bulgaria dates back to the Liberation

When we have a special occasion where we meet relatives or friends, as a sign of respect and as a memory, we usually present them with a gift, complete with a beautiful card. In the past, the card received was kept as a cherished memory and even passed..

published on 5/4/24 4:35 AM

The egg - a symbol of fertility and new life in Bulgarian folklore

Holy Thursday is one of the two days in the Holy Week when we dye eggs for Easter. Tradition dictates that the oldest woman in the family takes on this important task, and the first egg is always dyed red.  The Red Egg – symbol of the..

published on 5/2/24 4:35 AM
The Radio Sofia building

When the BNR “spoke” Polish

Today, the Bulgarian National Radio’s foreign language service Radio Bulgaria “speaks” 11 languages. Through the years, languages have been added, others have been dropped – something that happened to the Polish-language programmes. They were aired by..

published on 2/16/24 7:10 AM