Manastirishte, Mountain summit in Sofia City Province, Bulgaria
Manastirishte is the highest summit of the Plana mountain range in western Bulgaria, reaching 1,337.4 metres on the range's central ridge about 4 km north of the village of Plana. Its grassy, rounded top is barely pronounced because the summit area is flat. Remains of an old church stand nearby, and the top holds a small chapel of the Holy Spirit built in 2001 on the foundations of an earlier monastery.
A Thracian sanctuary dedicated to a sun god is thought to have stood on the summit in antiquity. A monastery of the Holy Spirit was later built there and was burned during Ottoman rule over Bulgaria; only small remains survive. The chapel of Sveti Duh was erected in 2001 on the monastery's traces.
On the feast of the Holy Spirit, people gather at the chapel of Sveti Duh on the summit, some wearing traditional white garments that recall older pagan customs. The chapel was built in 2001 on the remains of a medieval monastery of the same name, destroyed during Ottoman rule.
The easiest route starts from the village of Plana, about 4 km south of the summit; another option is the valley of the Zheleznishka reka from the village of Zheleznitsa, a climb of roughly two hours. The grassy, flat-topped ridge makes the walk undemanding, and the top opens views over much of Plana, Vitosha and Rila.
The grassy, barely prominent top hides traces of a Thracian sanctuary thought to have been dedicated to a sun god, later replaced by a monastery of the Holy Spirit burned during Ottoman rule; only small remains survive beside the 2001 chapel.
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