Location:
The Svishtov monastery, named “Virgin Mary’s Winding Sheet”, is located in a charming grove, about 5km away from the Danube town of Svishtov.
About the monastery:
The monastery does not have a rich history, or at least the latter has not reached us. It is known to have been constructed during the Ottoman rule, though it was ruined completely later on. In its present-day look, the cloister dates back to the end of the previous century. It is currently not functioning as a true monastery, as there are neither monks nor nuns living there. At the time of our visit in the spring of 2004, just two women took care of the monastery’s buildings and a small farm. The complex is a relatively big one, and consists of two residential buildings and another one for the livestock. We were left with the impression that the main goal of the monastery at present is to attract tourists rather than preserve Christian values and spirituality. In spite of this, the tourist inflow is low, most probably because of the fact that almost nothing of its original look has survived to present days.
