TROYAN Monastery from Above and Beyond | Drone & Ground Tour | Bulgaria | ТРОЯНСКИ МАНАСТИР

The Troyan Monastery, officially known as the Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God (Bulgarian: Троянски манастир „Успение Богородично“), is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria. Nestled in the northern Balkan Mountains, it dates back to at least the late 16th century.

The monastery is located along the banks of the Cherni Osam River, near the village of Oreshak, just 10 kilometers from the town of Troyan in Lovech Province. It is a well-known cultural and tourist destination.

The main church of the monastery was rebuilt in 1835, during the Bulgarian National Revival period, by a master builder named Konstantin. Between 1847 and 1849, the church was beautifully decorated inside and out by Zahari Zograph, one of Bulgaria's most prominent painters of the era. Zograph, who also painted the main church at Rila Monastery, included famous symbolic scenes such as Doomsday and the Wheel of Life. Notably, he also painted a self-portrait beside one of the rear windows—a bold and controversial act at the time.

The church’s iconostasis is a finely crafted wooden carving created in 1839.

Since the 17th century, the monastery has been the home of one of the most revered icons in Bulgarian Orthodoxy: the Three-Handed Virgin.

The monastery attracts many pilgrims, especially on St. George’s Day, drawn by the miraculous icon of St. George located in the main church. One of the rooms, now a museum, was once used by the revolutionary Vasil Levski to hide and meet with fellow revolutionaries during the Ottoman period.