Location:
The Koprivetz monastery, named ‘Reverend Petka of Bulgaria’ lies just outside the village of Koprivetz. The village itself is located in the western part of the Danube plateau, some 16km away from the town of Byala and 34km to the northwest of the town of Popovo. It is relatively close to the main road connecting Sofia and Varna and the visit of the monastery could be a nice stop on the way to the seaside.
About the monastery:
It is believed that the monastery’s existence dates back to the Second Bulgarian State. At that time, the monastery was the largest cloister in the area surrounding the old town of Cherven, with more than 100 nuns living permanently in its premises. Similarly to most monasteries on Bulgarian territory of that time, the Koprivetz monastery was not saved by the Ottoman invasion. The troops of Midhad Pasha raided the area of Cherven in the year 1388, setting on fire the town, monasteries and villages in the area. According to the legend, 5 nuns (Paraskeva, Varvara, Ekaterina, Marina and Nedelya), who stayed at the monastery at the time of the invasion died in the fire. The monastery was rebuilt in 1987-1989 secretly from the communist regime upon the initiative of a local woman, Yordana Cholakova, who saw God in her dream, urging her to restore the monastery within 3 years in its original place. And so it happened. The monastery was consecrated on October 14, 1989, just a couple of weeks before the fall of communism. Mother Varvara together with the monastery’s nuns has warmly welcomed pilgrims ever since.
