The rock monastery “St. Michael the Archangel” near village of Ivanovo (Northeast Bulgaria)
Скалният манастир „Св. Архангел Михаил“ при село Иваново
Category: Second Bulgarian Kingdom; Medieval art
Language: Bulgarian

   The rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo are a group of monolithic churches, chapels and monasteries hewn out of solid rock, located near the village of Ivanovo, on the high rocky banks of the Rusenski Lom River. The complex is noted for its beautiful and well-preserved Medieval frescoes (13th—14th century). Second Bulgarian Kingdom rulers such as John Alexander and John Asen II frequently made donations to the complex, as evidenced by donor portraits in some of the churches. Other patrons included nobles from the capital Tarnovo and nearest big medieval town Cherven, with which the monastery complex had strong ties. The rock-cut complex was a centre of hesychasm in the Medieval Bulgaria during the 14th century and continued to exist in the early centuries of the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, but gradually decayed. The rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

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