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The Gushovski Monastery was built in the 17th century and destroyed during the 1688 Chiprovtsi Uprising. Two stone crosses are located here: one at the top of the mountain, another by the altar in the base of the old stone church ruins. Near the ruins, rows of traditional stone hearths for bread making, a stone fountain for with drinking water, picnic tables, and other things have been built for visitors. It can be reached by foot or by car and is the halfway point between Chiprovtsi and the Chiprovtsi Waterfall along the Eco Trail “Deyanitsa.”
The museum was founded in 1988 on the anniversary of the Chiprovtsi Uprising. The main exhibition is housed in a renovated schoolhouse, built in 1866 by monks from the Chiprovtsi Monastery. English translations are provided for each of the exhibitions.
Chiprovtsi is proud of its Orthodox and Catholic heritage, and the close proximity of this church and the Orthodox Church of the Ascension of Christ serve as an example of the harmonious coexistence of the town’s Saxon and Slavic history. The Sankta Maria Catholic Church was built in 1371 and was a center of Bulgarian Catholicism prior to the 1688 uprising.
Chiprovski manastir
The Chiprovtsi Monastery has had a turbulent history: It was founded in the 10th century during the First Bulgarian State, but has been destroyed and rebuilt six times since: in 1412, 1688, 1806, 1828, 1837 and 1876. Most of the current structure dates from 1829. The complex includes a stone bell-tower with an ossuary, and a small chapel, buildings with chardatsi (terraces) and wooden arches, and a cemetery. A wooden gazebo marks the turn off for the Chiprovtsi Monastery, which is located about 6 km away from Chiprovtsi towards Montana. It is a working monastery with one priest in residence. He is welcoming to guests; and the fantastic view from the stone bell-tower, the ossuary of victims of the 1688 uprising, and the beautiful wood carved icons in the church of St. Ivan of Rila are not to be missed. Monasteries are self-sufficient on the gardens and animals kept by the priest, but purchasing a few beeswax candles to light at an altar are greatly appreciated.