Glozhenе Monastery "St. George the Victorious" - the monastery high in the sky

• 03 Jul 2023
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• Trails / Forest,
• Mountain,
• Adventure,
• Breathtaking views,
• Historical place,
• in Bulgaria,
• Museum,

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The Glozhene Monastery is one of the most magical orthodox monasteries in Bulgaria. It is located on a rocky edge of Mount Lisets and is surrounded by impenetrable rocks on three sides. Only the created path allows access to it. It was created in the 13th century by the Kiev prince George Glozh. He chooses as his home a place near the village of "Glozhene" in the "Gradishteto" area. However, the icon of St. George predicts another place for its home - high on the rocks of this difficult to reach and majestic place.

How do you get to the monastery?

The Glozhene monastery is located near the village of Glozhene, Teteven municipality. Its location makes it most easily accessible from Northern Bulgaria. It  stayed about 100 km. from Sofia, 85 km. from Pleven and 144 km from Veliko Tarnovo.
By car you can reach a parking lot in front of the monastery itself. From the Hemus highway, go down to Yablanitsa, from there you pass through the village of Malak Izvor and reach the monastery. The last few kilometers between Malak Izvor and the monastery are not in a particularly flourishing condition - quite a few potholes and a narrow road in some places, but with careful driving it can be passed without a problem.
The other option is to reach the village of Glozhene by bus or car. A path starts from there, which leads to the monastery with normal walking for about an hour. I haven't been through yet, but the path should be steep given the difference in height between the monastery and the village.

How long does it take to look around?

Allow about 60 minutes to explore the monastery. In my opinion, it will be enough for you to explore, take pictures and enjoy the beautiful nature that surrounds the monastery.

Is there a convenient picnic spot or something to eat nearby?

I wouldn't say there's a comfortable picnic spot, but there's an inn at the monastery on the weekend with great beans soup (you definitely should try it if you have not been in Bulgaria before). Right from the entrance you can feel the aroma and I would recommend you to try it.

Does the place have a curious history?

Yeah! I'm glad you asked, my dear adventurer. The monastery was built in the 13th century by the Kiev prince Glozh. There are two theories about his appearance in our lands - one is that the prince was driven out by the Tatars and Tsar Ivan Asen II gave him land to settle here, and the other is that he came to help the king in the battle for the throne and in gratitude he receives the land. The interesting thing is that the construction of the church started in a completely different place - down near the village of Glozhene. One day, however, the icon of Saint George simply disappeared. It was found a few days later at the spot on top of the cliffs next to the village. They took it back, but soon it disappeared again. They find it again on the rocks and the prince finally decides to listen to it and builds the monastery in the place where it is now. When it was created, it had a much different appearance, as only parts of the church were preserved, and the rest was reconstructed later.

Father Nektariy, the abbot of the monastery, told us that the monastery was never captured, which is very impressive considering the 5 centuries under the Ottoman empire. A stone passage was built at the entrance to the monastery complex. It is said to have been designed in such a way that just by pulling out one stone in the middle, the entire passage collapsed and trapped the attackers.

The monastery was also used as a hideout for Vasil Levski during the organization of the uprisings in the country. From the room where the hiding place is located, there was a tunnel that exits a few hundred meters from the monastery in the mountain. In the Glozhene Monastery, you can also see the room where Vasil Drumev, also known as Kliment Turnovski, was kept as a political enemy. There he was exiled for 15 months only fed by salted fish and water. To everyone's surprise, he manages to survive despite this body-destroying diet and is released. Later, it turns out that through a hole in the ceiling he received normal food and thus managed to survive this period.
** The room is still preserved and has items from his stay. The difference, however, is that during his imprisonment there was not a single window or opening to the outside in the room except the front door.

The church of the monastery is very beautiful and extremely well preserved. In fact, it has been largely rebuilt since the earthquakes destroyed a large part of the authentic church. Part of the iconostasis and icons have been preserved, and you can also see the icon of St. George the Victorious, which, according to legend, was brought here by Prince Glozh. The top of the icon is made of boxwood and the bottom is made with silver hardware later in the years.

What is the cost to visit?

There is no charge to visit. The only charge is during the weekend for the parking lot in front of the monastery. The price is BGN 3 for a car.

Can I take my dog?

You can take your dog into the courtyard of the monastery, but I would recommend that you do not bring it inside. I have no idea if it's allowed, but we thought it wiser to leave Jerry out. There are several cats residing in the monastery and it is advisable not to disturb their peace.
 

When is the best time to visit?

If possible, I would recommend you to visit the monastery during the week. There are a lot of people on weekends and I personally do not manage to feel the atmosphere and calmness of this place from the noise.
As for the season I would recommend you to visit it in different seasons as it will show itself to you in different colors and beauty.
 

What is interesting nearby?

• Glozhene waterfall - located near the village of Glozhene on the road to Teteven. On the left side of the road there is a restaurant "Pri Vidrite". The waterfall can be seen from the parking lot, and if you're feeling adventurous you can visit it on a small path to the left of the restaurant.
• Eco-path "Under the spray of the waterfall" - this is one of my favorite places in the area. I visited the last part of the eco-trail, which is in the forest, and I was very fascinated by the place and the nature around. Read more about it here.
• Teteven Monastery "St. Elijah" - is located in Teteven and is a wonderful holy place that has managed to survive over the years and be more beautiful than ever. The church is beautiful and the courtyard incredibly green and peaceful. Read more about it here.
• City History Museum Teteven - the museum is located right on the square in the center of Teteven and will surely captivate you with its history. In it you will find many interesting objects and findings from the life and lifestyle of the locals over the centuries, their crafts and customs. The organizer tells a very fascinating story and will make you feel these past times for sure. Read more about it here.

About my adventure

The Glozhene Monastery was one of the places I dreamed of visiting. In my thirty years of life I had never been fortunate enough to visit this majestic place. But this year, in just a few months, I was able to visit him not once, but twice.

If you follow me actively, you are already aware that I am not the biggest fan of churches and monasteries. It's not that I'm not religious, on the contrary. But what grabs me the most are the places with incredible views. And the Glozhene Monastery is in exactly such a place - lying on the rocks with a breathtaking panorama.

It's definitely as beautiful in person as it is in all the pictures on the internet that I assume you've seen. From the road that leads to it, at one turn there is an incredible view of the monastery. (photo above) And for the rest of the viewpoints, you'll need a drone. If you don't have one, you can follow me on Facebook and see what the monastery looks like from the side through the eyes of my drone.

On my first visit, we came on a rainy Saturday. There were quite a few people who came like us to see the monastery, but the inn was working and you could feel the aroma of wonderful monastery beans right from the entrance gate. The second visit was on Friday. It was a rainy day again, but just before we reached the junction for the monastery the rain stopped and we found ourselves in a dense fog. I rush up to have time to take out the drone and try to catch the monastery shrouded in fog.. Well, I guess you have already seen the result - incredible satisfaction and unique shots that I managed to capture.

Mladen Milev and Father Nektariy helped us with the walk in the monastery, and managed to tell us the history of the monastery - about the Kiev prince Glozh, the disappearing and re-appearing icon up on the rocks, about the earthquakes and the visits of the Bulgarian revivalists in the area. They told us about Vasil Levski and the infamous escape tunnel in one room, and also about Vasil Drumev and his painful exile in the monastery, due to the conflict with the then government.

To tell you the truth, when you get to know a place, it fits your heart and you feel close to it. That's how I felt when we left the monastery. A beautiful, holy and magical place. It was an honor for me to tell you about it and I hope that with my story I will be able to touch you and experience the magic of this monastery for yourself.

See you soon, Glozhensky Monastery
 

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I want to especially thank our hosts from the Teteven municipality, the regional association Tour Club ReMark, our wonderful tour guide Mladen Milev and the curator of the historical museum Tsonka Petkova for this wonderful weekend and the great organization.

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