Brestovo Monastery "St. Arhangel Mihail"

The Monastery "St. Archangel Michael" is located north of the village of Brestovo (Blagoevgrad district), in the neighborhood Popovski, 20km west of town of Simitli in the valley of "Stara reka" river. The monastery is one of the oldest in southwestern Bulgaria and it is assuming it was built in 1149.

Once the monastery had a cell-school, monastic cells and rooms for the guests. It was surrounded by 3 meters high and 1 meter wide stone wall, which is allegedly was built by a unique technology. Today from the monastery, only surviving is the church, which exterior was repaired, while the interior is not restored.

During the Ottoman rule here often hiding the local chieftains Ilya Pandurski (Ilio Markov Malyeshevski), Dimitrachko Domozetski, and according some stories here once have been also the Apostle of the Freedom - Vasil Levski.

Currently Monastery of Brestove does not functioning and only the church opens its doors at major Christian holidays.