Divotino Monastery, Orthodox monastery in Pernik Municipality, Bulgaria
Divotino Monastery consists of the old Church of the Holy Trinity, the newer Church of the Holy Seventy Apostles, and residential and farm buildings. The old church measures 16 by 8 metres and is a single-nave, single-apse building with two conches and a dome on a high drum.
Founded in 1046, the monastery was destroyed after the Ottoman capture of Sofia in 1382; only small wooden parts of the iconostasis and three wall-painted icons survived. It was rebuilt in 1875 and the present monastery buildings date from 1902. During Ottoman rule the complex was burned three times. Locals call it the Tsar's Monastery because of frequent visits by Tsar Ferdinand.
Locals call it the Tsar's Monastery because Tsar Ferdinand visited often. Since February 2025 nuns from the Rakovishki Monastery in Kulsko have lived here, after the monks moved to the Lopushanski Monastery in the Vidin Eparchy. The monastery celebrates its patronal feast on Trinity Sunday.
The monastery lies 4 km northeast of Divotino village over the Lyulin ridge (8 km by road) and 1,300 m southwest of Bankya's Mihailovo quarter (2.5 km by road). A marked trail starts at the "Ul. A. Konstantinov" stop of bus 42 and takes about an hour. The site is an active convent, so dress modestly.
The monastery is locally called Tsarski (Royal) Monastery because Tsar Ferdinand visited it often. Since February 2025 its monks moved to the Lopushanski Monastery, and nuns from the Rakovishki Monastery took their place.
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