Bulgaria Inside

St. Athanasius, also known as Chirpan or Zlatnolivadenski Monastery, is situated on a picturesque hill near the Chirpan region village of Zlatna Livada.

The monastery complex includes a church that was reconstructed in 1961, a cave and a well known for its healing power, old buildings from 1840 that have not undergone renovation and new constructions built in 1979. Stara River separates the cave from the monastery complex.

As in the case of many other monasteries, St. Athanasius used to be a shelter of Bulgarian revolutionaries among which Vasil Levski.

Zlatnolivadenski Monastery was founded during the Roman period, in 344 AD. St. Athanasius the Great settled there. He decided to live in a cave to save locals from epidemics and heretical propaganda.

The saint told people to build a church next to the cave in order to be safe from the epidemics. Since this came true, many people became believers.

Archaeologists have proven that the construction is really that old. Over the centuries, the monastery was torn down and renovated several times. Since the 4th century, the positioning of the monastery complex has remained unchanged.

During the Ottoman rule, the monastery had a wooden church and gave shelter to many revolutionaries. After 1944, during the communist regime, the monastery served as a part of a local agrarian cooperation. According to the legend, the local communist party secretary had a dream. In it, St. Athanasius said that if the blasphemy continued, the secretary was going to lose his child.

In the beginning of the 50s, the monastery was in poor condition. St. Athanasius was named the oldest European monastery in the 70s and renovation works were launched. A new monastery building was constructed, featuring traditional architecture.

An icon of St. Petka has been placed above the church altar. The saint is historically connected to the monastery. During the Ottoman rule, a chapel named after the saint was constructed but was later on destroyed. St. Petka’s holiday is celebrated there each year on October 14.

The monastery gets support from volunteers from nearby villages. Many tourists come from all parts of Bulgaria, as well as from foreign countries.

Legends connect the healing power of the water in the monastery’s well to the Thracians. Believers are certain that the water cures skin problems, vision problems and cancer.