St.Nikola Monastery

The monastery "St. Nicholas" (also known as Kalugerovo Monastery) is located in the outskirts of the Sredna gora mountain, on the banks of the River Topolnitsa, about 2 km from the village of Kalugerovo.

It is assumed that the monastery existed even during the Crusades (XI-XIII century). In 1419 it was destroyed by the Turks, but was restored later. In the monastery courtyard is kept Roman road column with a Latin inscription by Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). There were found also Roman marble sarcophagus and Roman coins.

The Kalugerovo monastery occupies an important place in the Bulgarian history. During the Ottoman rule it is a center of cultural activity and a place that often gave shelter to leaders of the revolutionary movement. In the summer of 1871 Vasil Levski founded a revolutionary committee here. After the quell of April Uprising in 1876. the monatery church was burned with its iconostasis and icons. The monastery was restored in 1908.

The new church was dedicated to St. Nicholas - the Miracle Worker. It is high-nave basilica with a bell-tower above the western entrance.