Price: Arapovo monastery "St. Sunday, " one of the last Startups Orthodox monasteries before the Liberation. Located in Asenovgrad Eparchy of Plovdiv Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated about 6 km east from the town right of way for Parvomai.
The Orthodox Church is dedicated to the Martyr Sunday (Kyriaki). Because of his strong belief in the doctrine of Christ virgin was brutally tortured and then beheaded on 7 July 287, in the city Nikodimiya, Asia Minor. History tells us that God took her soul just before the executioner's sword to shed innocent blood of beauty. Saint wrote praise for a Patriarch of Turnovo and centuries ago, during the reign of Asenevtsi (XII-XIII century), the relics of the saint were transferred to the then capital of Veliko Tarnovo.
Today, the monastery attracts pilgrims from all over the country. It is an attractive place for its beautiful frescoes keep. Built in the middle of the XIX century by the monk Sophronius, the monastery has not been spared. In construction, participated eminent master builders Stoyu - Stoyan Uzunov (Gudevski). For prototype used Gornovodensko monastery. The frescoes in the cathedral are the work of painter Alexi Atanasov and Georgi Danchov - Zografina (1846 - 1908), a personal friend and associate of Vasil Levski. The story present St. John the Baptist, St. Paraskeva, patriarchs and Euthymius of Turnovo Joachim, St. Mark, Bishop of Preslav, Theophylact Tarnovo, St. Ivan Rilski, Hilarion Muglensky Onufry of Gabrovo and others. In one of the pictures even depicted the funeral of two brothers from Salonika - Cyril and Methodius.
Specific structure in the Orthodox complex is the large stone tower. According to folk tradition it was built by the generous donations of angels leader - one of the most famous rebels in the region. The tower is rectangular. The first two floors are stone with narrow windows adapted for loopholes, and the third is the actual living area with wood-flimsy construction and issued a strong round bay windows, there are 4 rooms. On the north wall is the mural "Samson killing a lion Nubian" used for patriotic purposes.
Not far from the monastery is a sacred spring - spring. Around him in 1870 is a chapel whose walls is the work of George Danchov.
A curious fact in the history of the monastery is that during the April uprising there lived the mother of Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov with their children. During the Russo-Turkish War (1877 - 1878)., The monastery was burned by the retreating Turkish troops, but then again restored.
Orthodox complex offers several rooms with a shared bathroom, but food is not available.
- Monastery
