Location:
The St Theodor Tiron monastery is located about 2-3km away from the town of Pravets, following the road to Etropole. It lies in the Etropole part of the Balkan mountain, and is naturally bounded by the relatively low Bilo mountain to the South and the defile of the Vitomeritsa river to the north.
About the monastery:
It is believed that the Pravets monastery has its origin back in ancient times, when the place was occupied by a Thracian sanctuary. During the rule of the Assen and Peter brothers, it was transformed into a Christian cloister. During more or less its entire existence, the monastery has remained in the shadow of the nearby Etropole monastery, located about 10km away from it. There are no historical records of St Theodor Tiron regarding its existence during the early Ottoman rule. It is only known that during the so-called raids of rebel groups, named Kurdzhalii, in the 18th century, the monastery was entirely destroyed – only to be rebuilt shortly afterwards. Close to the present-day church, once there used to lie a chapel. At present, there is no trace to be found of this chapel, even if the place remains of interest to treasure-hunters.
