Troyan tourist info and hotels

Troyan is a place, where the old traditions are still alive. It was founded as a market place near the Troyan Monastery in the 19th century. From June till September, there is a famous Fair of Traditional Crafts in the village of Oreshak. The fair represents works of many great Bulgarian folk artists, but the spotlight is definitely on the Troyan style pottery which shows the cheerful spirit of the Bulgarians in a very beautiful way.

Troyan Monastery

The most attractive place in Troyan is the Troyan Monastery, which is wll-known with its decorated exterior and interior, painted by Zahari Zograph. The main church was built in 1835 and is located 7km away from the town. Painting the churches was not typical for that time and Zahari Zograph proved very innovative and courageous despite the Ottoman bondage. He even painted a self-portrait plus Bulgarian and Russian saints while working on the compositions Doomsday and The Wheel of Life and signed them with amazing self-confidence. What is more, the artist even drew a group of unclerical portraits in the refectory – something even braver for that time.
The whole Monastery dates back to the Revival period in Bulgaria. During the 18th century in the place worked many men of letters and it was also a school. In 1872 the Troyan Monastery was one of the places, where Vassil Levski conducted some of his secret revolutionary meetings in which participated all of the monks plus the Father Superior Macarius. In 1876 the Monastery acted as a citadel during the April Uprising and it is a miracle that most of the artworks survived that period.

A remarkable thing in the main church is the carved wooden iconostasis, made in 1839. Another attraction is the carved holy gates in the St. Nikola Chapel made in 1794. The icons in the Monastery are traces of the masters of art – the Samoltovians Dimiter Zograph and Nikola Obrazopissov. Tryavna's Simeon Tsonyuv, Dossyu Koyuv, Koyu Tsenyuv, Theodossius Koyuv Vitanov. There are also many manuscripts and incunabula in the Troyan Monastery and one of the most precious of them is the Troyan Homilies, dating back to the 17th century. The place was also famous with its “printery” in which many graphic works were made.