Troyan Monastery “The Assumption of Mary”

The Troyan Monastery as a monastery complex is the third in size in Bulgaria, a remarkable monument of culture of national significance. According to the historical documents, the monastery was first founded in 1600 and reconstructed in the period 1830 – 1865 in its present look. As an architectural style of the buildings it is associated with the School of Revival. The most significant architectural and cultural monument is the main church “The Assumption of Virgin Mary”, which was built in the period 1835-1837. The wall-paintings in the church are a rich gallery of the art of Zahari Zograf (1810 – 1853), a top of his art. Along with the presented Bible scenes, he had left a wonderful self-portrait, portraits of donors, the images of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, images of Bulgarian patriarchs and tsars, saints, and for the first time Bulgarian saints were depicted. The walls of the temple are divided into 360 fields, in which various scenes and images are painted. The Bulgarian fine arts do not know such wealth and variation of themes and plots from the Age of Revival (18th – 19th century).