WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

by Stamen Manolov; photography by Anthony Georgieff

Deep in a stunning gorge cutting through the Stara Planina mountain range this Orthodox monastery was supposedly founded in the 14th century

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It was destroyed by the invading Ottomans, reviving itself in 1660. The compound you see today is a fine example of Revival Period architecture with a 1844 church with a fine woodcarved iconostasis. As is the custom with many holy places in Bulgaria, the monastery holds a number of macabre stories. Folk etymology indicates that its name is derived from cherep, or skull. The monastery is surrounded by white cliffs that do look like skulls with their black eye sockets.

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