Historic Monastery in Smolichano, Bulgaria

In the little village of Smolichano in Bulgaria, huddled in the Osogovo mountain, you will come across The Monastery St.Pravedni Yoakim and Anna. This is about 20 km away from the village of Nevestino, the administrative center of the municipality of Nevestino.

The Monastery is one of the most impressing landmarks of the municipality. It was founded in 1895 over the remnants of the medieval church St.Pravedni Yoakim and Anna, burned down a few times. The Monastery has become one of the most incredible places to see in Bulgeria.

Despite its small size, nowadays the monastery exerts a strong emotional influence on visitors with its interesting history and amazing nature. In the Monasteries yard there is a holy spring and a fountain with twelve spouts, representing the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. Near the church you will find a masterpiece of nature, a twelve-meter waterfall, which in winter enchants with its icy beauty and weird shapes.

The centuries-old oak cerris is very impressive. This has been welcoming and saying good-bye wordlessly to many generations of visitors, who have come to admire its majesty.

The municipality of Nevestino is studded with antic settlements, mounds, necropoleis, fortresses and ruins in the scattered villages of Nevestino, Pastuh, Vaksevo, Smolichano, Pelatikovo, and Rashka Grashtitsa. As well as The Monastery St.Pravedni Yoakim, other delighyts to see include the fortress in next to the village of Pastuh, the medieval churches of St Ivan and St. Bogoroditsa in the village of Pastuh, the cemetery next to the village of Murvodol, the church in the village of Vaksevo, and the church of St. Troitsa in the village of Rakovo. Many of these have remained from the Middle Ages.