The Cherepish monastery was built during the Second Bulgarian Empire, under the rule of Tsar Ivan Shishman (1371-1393). Like many other Bulgarian monasteries, it was destroyed several times under Ottoman rule.
The St George’s church of the monastery has kept its original design since the 16th century. The frescoes that decorated the walls were painted in the 19th century.
The numerous caves around Cherepish made it the perfect hiding place for Bulgarians during the Russo-Turkish war (1877-78). The last battle against the Turks, led by Georgi Apostolov, was fought in the neighbouring area of the Cherepish Monastery. Legend has it that before leaving, the Turks hid gold and relics in some of the caves near the monastery. Many other legends of monks who discovered a cave full of gold still survive from this period.
Today, the area surrounding the monastery has many hiking routes along the Iskar river. The renowned Bulgarian writer Aleko Konstantinov referred to this area as the 'Bulgarian Switzerland'. The monastery also offers accommodation for up to 30 guests.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.