Lopushna Monastery
Encyclopedia
The Lopushna Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner is an Bulgarian Orthodox
monastery in northwestern Bulgaria
. It lies in the Chiprovtsi
part of the western Balkan Mountains
, 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) southwest the village of Georgi Damyanovo
, Montana Province
.
Founded in the Middle Ages
but built in its present appearance throughout the 1850s, the Lopushna Monastery, and particularly its complex main church, are one of the most notable works of the Slavine Architectural School and its most prominent figure, Lilo Lazarov. It was in the construction of the monastery cathedral that Lazarov first employed vernacular Gothic
decorative features, a trademark approach of the Slavine School that set it apart from other architectural schools of the Bulgarian National Revival
.
river, in the vicinity of the village of Georgi Damyanovo
, formerly known as Lopushna. It lies at around 300 metres (984.3 ft) above sea level and can be reached through the Petrohan Pass
from the capital Sofia
, which is 105 kilometres (65.2 mi) to the south.
The original monastery was probably established during the Second Bulgarian Empire
(12th–14th centuries). The monastery had to endure torching and plundering raids in the 14th–18th centuries, the period of the early Ottoman
rule of Bulgaria. In the following decades, the support of the nearby Chiprovtsi Monastery
meant that the Lopushna Monastery consolidated financially. In the 1840s, Archimandrite
Dionysius and the hieromonks Gerasimus and Gideon of the Chiprovtsi Monastery joined the Lopushna Monastery, Dionysius as its hegumen
(abbot
). Having collected funds, the clerics sought to reconstruct the ill-maintained monastery buildings.
During the Bulgarian National Revival
(18th–19th centuries), the Lopushna Monastery housed a religious school and was a haven for Bulgarian freedom fighters and supporters of the struggle for an autonomous Bulgarian Exarchate
. National writer Ivan Vazov
spent some time at the monastery and wrote part of his most famous work, the novel Under the Yoke
(1888), there. The monastery was reconstructed in 1989 due to structure-threatening damage to the north residential wing.
architect from Slavine. The current yard gate, stone fence and north and south residential wing were all built in 1850–1853. Some finishing touches were being applied to the church up until 1856, when the pavilion
drinking fountain was built as well, and the ossuary
was added in 1860.
The monastery cathedral, the Church of Saint John the Baptist
, is regarded as the finest and most complex example of church architecture of the Slavine Architectural School established by Lazarov. The architectural approach of the Slavine School, one of 44 such informal schools of the Bulgarian National Revival, is unique with its implementation of Gothic
decorative features. Projects by the Slavine School prominently include geometric decorations based on the triangle
on apse
s, dome
s and external narthex
es, as well as sharp-pointed window and door arch
es. Another discerning feature of the school is the exterior stone relief decoration, in which rosette
ornaments play an important part.
Inspiration for the church was the cathedral of the Rila Monastery
, the most important monastery in the Bulgarian lands. Lazarov twice visited the Rila Monastery to observe the church's architecture. Before commencing the construction of the Lopushna Monastery church, he made a hazel
model of his project in order to receive the approval of the monks and the hegumen. Only two other churches in Bulgaria bear a resemblance to that design: the main church of the Rila Monastery and that of the Etropole Monastery. However, while the Lopushna Monastery church takes inspiration from the Rila Monastery for its plan, it is radically different in decoration and appearance from that of the Rila Monastery. Instead of following the Byzantine Revival and partially Baroque Revival style of the Rila Monastery, the Lopushna Monastery church's architecture displays Gothic Revival features, which were entirely innovative for Bulgarian vernacular architecture
at the time. The decoration of windows, cornices, plinths and particularly doors, as well as until 1923 of the porch, is dominated by sharp-pointed shapes and broken lines.
s and an elongated cella
. Single-nave
domed chapels (each dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian
and Saint John the Baptist) are attached to each side of the church, with three additional domes topping the cella's middle nave. At the entrance, the three parts of the church form a U-shaped external narthex
. In total, there are five octahedral domes and six doors. Two enter the narthex, two serve the side chapels and a single door is intended for the priest to step into the diaconicon
. The church's stone columns were the work of stonemasons from Elovitsa.
The iconostases
were carved by masters from Samokov
; the main iconostasis was created by Stoycho Fandakov in 1863, and he was probably the author of the side chapels' templa
. Eight of the icons in the church and some of those in the side chapels were the work of Samokov iconographer
Nikolay Dospevski, while other icons in the chapels were painted by his older brother Stanislav Dospevski
, who also did the portrait of the hegumen Dionysius.
The Lopushna Monastery is also notable for its exterior relief decoration. The cathedral's eastern side apses are adorned by the stone portraits of the moustache
d architect Lazarov (surrounded by a Christian cross
and a cross rosette, symbols which call for God's protection of the experienced master) and his chief assistant, possibly Georgi Yovanov from Rosomach (flanked by floral rosettes, a symbol of youth and future blossoming). The windows are decorated with floral details and two-headed eagles. Images of protective characters like stone blocks with sword-wielding horsemen, reliefs of fire-belching dragons, deer and lions can be found on the northern church facade and the yard gate.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
monastery in northwestern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It lies in the Chiprovtsi
Chiprovtsi
Chiprovtsi is a small town and municipality in northwestern Bulgaria, administratively part of Montana Province. It lies on the shores of the river Ogosta in the western Balkan Mountains, very close to the Bulgarian-Serbian border...
part of the western Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
, 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) southwest the village of Georgi Damyanovo
Georgi Damyanovo
Georgi Damyanovo is a village in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Montana Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Georgi Damyanovo Municipality, which lies in the southern part of Montana Province....
, Montana Province
Montana Province
Montana Province is a province in northwestern Bulgaria, bordering Serbia in the southwest and Romania in the north. It spreads its area between the Danube river and Balkan mountain. As of February 2011, the province has a population of 148,098 inhabitants, on territory of 3,635.5 km²...
.
Founded in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
but built in its present appearance throughout the 1850s, the Lopushna Monastery, and particularly its complex main church, are one of the most notable works of the Slavine Architectural School and its most prominent figure, Lilo Lazarov. It was in the construction of the monastery cathedral that Lazarov first employed vernacular Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
decorative features, a trademark approach of the Slavine School that set it apart from other architectural schools of the Bulgarian National Revival
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian National Revival , sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule...
.
Geography and history
The Lopushna Monastery is situated in the valley of the Dalgodelska OgostaOgosta
The Ogosta , is a river in Northern Bulgaria, a right tributary of the Danube. It takes it source from Vrazha Glava Peak on the border with Serbia. The towns of Chiprovtsi, Montana and Miziya are situated on the river's banks....
river, in the vicinity of the village of Georgi Damyanovo
Georgi Damyanovo
Georgi Damyanovo is a village in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Montana Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Georgi Damyanovo Municipality, which lies in the southern part of Montana Province....
, formerly known as Lopushna. It lies at around 300 metres (984.3 ft) above sea level and can be reached through the Petrohan Pass
Petrohan Pass
Petrohan Pass is a mountain pass in the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It connects Sofia and Montana....
from the capital Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, which is 105 kilometres (65.2 mi) to the south.
The original monastery was probably established during the Second Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
(12th–14th centuries). The monastery had to endure torching and plundering raids in the 14th–18th centuries, the period of the early Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule of Bulgaria. In the following decades, the support of the nearby Chiprovtsi Monastery
Chiprovtsi Monastery
Chiprovtsi Monastery is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery 5 kilometres northeast of the town of Chiprovtsi in Montana Province in northwestern Bulgaria...
meant that the Lopushna Monastery consolidated financially. In the 1840s, Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
Dionysius and the hieromonks Gerasimus and Gideon of the Chiprovtsi Monastery joined the Lopushna Monastery, Dionysius as its hegumen
Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, igumen, or ihumen is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the one of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called hegumenia or ihumenia . The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in...
(abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
). Having collected funds, the clerics sought to reconstruct the ill-maintained monastery buildings.
During the Bulgarian National Revival
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian National Revival , sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule...
(18th–19th centuries), the Lopushna Monastery housed a religious school and was a haven for Bulgarian freedom fighters and supporters of the struggle for an autonomous Bulgarian Exarchate
Bulgarian Exarchate
The Bulgarian Exarchate was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953....
. National writer Ivan Vazov
Ivan Vazov
Ivan Minchov Vazov was a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria ....
spent some time at the monastery and wrote part of his most famous work, the novel Under the Yoke
Under the Yoke
Under the Yoke is a novel by Ivan Vazov, written in 1888. It depicts the Ottoman oppression of Bulgaria and is the most famous piece of classic Bulgarian literature. Under the Yoke has been translated into more than 30 languages.-Plot:...
(1888), there. The monastery was reconstructed in 1989 due to structure-threatening damage to the north residential wing.
Construction and style
The present facilities of the monastery, a monument of culture of national importance, were mostly constructed in 1850–1853 by Lilo (Ilia) Lazarov, a BulgarianBulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
architect from Slavine. The current yard gate, stone fence and north and south residential wing were all built in 1850–1853. Some finishing touches were being applied to the church up until 1856, when the pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
drinking fountain was built as well, and the ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
was added in 1860.
The monastery cathedral, the Church of Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, is regarded as the finest and most complex example of church architecture of the Slavine Architectural School established by Lazarov. The architectural approach of the Slavine School, one of 44 such informal schools of the Bulgarian National Revival, is unique with its implementation of Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
decorative features. Projects by the Slavine School prominently include geometric decorations based on the triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
on apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s, dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
s and external narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
es, as well as sharp-pointed window and door arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es. Another discerning feature of the school is the exterior stone relief decoration, in which rosette
Rosette (design)
A rosette is a round, stylized flower design, used extensively in sculptural objects from antiquity. Appearing in Mesopotamia and used to decorate the funeral stele in Ancient Greece...
ornaments play an important part.
Inspiration for the church was the cathedral of the Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery
The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of above sea level...
, the most important monastery in the Bulgarian lands. Lazarov twice visited the Rila Monastery to observe the church's architecture. Before commencing the construction of the Lopushna Monastery church, he made a hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
model of his project in order to receive the approval of the monks and the hegumen. Only two other churches in Bulgaria bear a resemblance to that design: the main church of the Rila Monastery and that of the Etropole Monastery. However, while the Lopushna Monastery church takes inspiration from the Rila Monastery for its plan, it is radically different in decoration and appearance from that of the Rila Monastery. Instead of following the Byzantine Revival and partially Baroque Revival style of the Rila Monastery, the Lopushna Monastery church's architecture displays Gothic Revival features, which were entirely innovative for Bulgarian vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
at the time. The decoration of windows, cornices, plinths and particularly doors, as well as until 1923 of the porch, is dominated by sharp-pointed shapes and broken lines.
Church design and decoration
The church was constructed between 1850 and 1853. In terms of design, it features three semi-domeSemi-dome
A semi-dome, also called a "half-dome", is the term in architecture for half a dome , used to cover a semi-circular area. Similar structures occur in nature.-Architecture:...
s and an elongated cella
Cella
A cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
. Single-nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
domed chapels (each dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, physicians, and early Christian martyrs born in Cilicia, part of today's Turkey. They practiced their profession in the seaport of Ayas, Adana, then in the Roman province of Syria...
and Saint John the Baptist) are attached to each side of the church, with three additional domes topping the cella's middle nave. At the entrance, the three parts of the church form a U-shaped external narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
. In total, there are five octahedral domes and six doors. Two enter the narthex, two serve the side chapels and a single door is intended for the priest to step into the diaconicon
Diaconicon
The Diaconicon is, in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, the name given to a chamber on the south side of the central apse of the church, where the vestments, books, etc, that are used in the Divine Services of the church are kept .The Diaconicon contains the thalassidion...
. The church's stone columns were the work of stonemasons from Elovitsa.
The iconostases
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
were carved by masters from Samokov
Samokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...
; the main iconostasis was created by Stoycho Fandakov in 1863, and he was probably the author of the side chapels' templa
Templon
A templon is a feature of Byzantine churches consisting of a barrier separating the nave from the sacraments at the altar....
. Eight of the icons in the church and some of those in the side chapels were the work of Samokov iconographer
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
Nikolay Dospevski, while other icons in the chapels were painted by his older brother Stanislav Dospevski
Stanislav Dospevski
Stanislav Dospevski is the name assumed by Zafir Zograf , the son of Dimitar Zograf and nephew of the famed Bulgarian icon and mural painter, Zahari Zograf. He is a notable representative of the Samokov artistic school and one of the most important painters and icon-painters of the Bulgarian...
, who also did the portrait of the hegumen Dionysius.
The Lopushna Monastery is also notable for its exterior relief decoration. The cathedral's eastern side apses are adorned by the stone portraits of the moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
d architect Lazarov (surrounded by a Christian cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
and a cross rosette, symbols which call for God's protection of the experienced master) and his chief assistant, possibly Georgi Yovanov from Rosomach (flanked by floral rosettes, a symbol of youth and future blossoming). The windows are decorated with floral details and two-headed eagles. Images of protective characters like stone blocks with sword-wielding horsemen, reliefs of fire-belching dragons, deer and lions can be found on the northern church facade and the yard gate.
See also
- Saint George's Church, Gavril GenovoSaint George's Church, Gavril GenovoSaint George's Church is a church in Gavril Genovo, a village in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Georgi Damyanovo municipality, Montana Province. It was built in 1873 by the architect Alekso Angelkov of the Slavine Architectural School in the village of Sotochino, today one of the two...
- Vernacular adaptations of Gothic Revival