The Cherepish Monastery is located 29 kilometers southeast of the town of Vratsa, on the bank of the Iskar River. Built during the reign of Tsar Ivan Shishman (1371-1395), legends say that its name comes from the white bones of fallen soldiers at the Battle of Tsar Shishman against the Ottoman invaders, which took place nearby.
At the end of the 16th century St. Pimen Zografski (iconographer, literary, and church builder) restored the monastery, and it became a cultural and spiritual center whose activities continued during the following centuries, despite the incessant attacks of the Ottoman bandits (Kurdzhali).
In 1784 a two story ossuary was built in the mountains above the monastery. The houses that can be seen there today date from 1836. The oldest preserved frescoes in the monastery church date go all the way back to the 16th century.
The great Bulgarian writer Ivan Vasov often came to pray and seek inspiration in the monastery. There is also a small museum dedicated to him.
Monastery
Bulgaria
Macedonia
Romania
Cherepishki manastir