About 30km south of Plovdiv, the magnificent Bachkovo Monastery was founded in 1083 by Georgian brothers Gregory and Abasius Bakuriani, aristocrats in Byzantine military service. The monastery flourished during the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) but was ransacked by Turks in the 15th and 16th centuries. Major reconstructions began in the mid-17th century. Bachkovo’s now Bulgaria’s second-largest monastery, after Rila.
In the courtyard, the Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa (1604) contains frescos by Zahari Zograf from the early 1850s. Other highlights include the 17th-century iconostasis, more 19th-century murals and a much-cherished icon of the Virgin, allegedly painted by St Luke, though actually dating from the 14th century. Pilgrims regularly pray before the silver-encased icon.
The monastery’s southern side houses the former refectory (1601). The walls are filled with stunning frescos relating the monastery’s history. A gate beside the refectory leads to a (rarely open) courtyard; this leads to the Church of Sveti Nikolai (1836). During the 1840s, Zograf painted the superb Last Judgment inside the chapel; note the condemned, nervous-looking Turks on the right and Zograf’s self-portrait (no beard) in the upper-left corner.
Around 50m from the monastery entrance, the restored Ossuary features wonderful medieval murals, but it remains closed.
A prominent explanation board provides monastic history (in English, French and German), and a map of hiking trails to nearby villages. The helpful guidebook (15 lv) is available too.
Bachkovo Monastery offers austere older rooms with shared bathrooms, and newer ones with their own bathrooms, for 20 lv per person and 40 lv per person, respectively. Enquire upstairs in the reception office.
Take any bus to Smolyan from Plovdiv’s Rodopi bus station (3 lv), disembark at the turn-off about 1.2km south of Bachkovo village and walk about 500m uphill. There are also direct buses half-hourly.
