The Zemen Monastery (, ''Zemenski manastir'') is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery located one kilometre away from the town of Zemen, Pernik Province in western

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. The monastery was established in the 11th century. It comprises a church, belfry and two residential buildings. It is currently uninhabited. The church is a monument of culture. The church dates from the foundation of the monastery in the late 11th century and has a cube shape, 9 metres long, 8 metres wide, 11.20 metres high. The material used was

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

. The altar is a stone monolith and the floor is made of colourful tiles. The church is richly painted inside, with two layers of frescoes, the scarcely preserved early one dating to the 11th century. The better preserved Biblical scenes date from the mid-14th century and include several portraits of donors: the first one depicting an unnamed man, his wife Doya and their two children, the second featuring a young man, Vitomir, and a boy, Stoyu. These portraits rank among the oldest and artistically most valuable in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

after the frescoes of the Boyana Church.

Gallery

File:Zemen Monastery TB (8).jpg, Front view of the church File:Zemen Monastery TB (6).jpg, Apse view of the church File:Zemen Monastery TB (3).JPG, Courtyard and 19th-century residential buildings File:ZemenMonastery-church-frescoes.JPG, Medieval frescoes in the Zemen moneastery File:Zemen Monastery TB (2).JPG, Interior view of the church with its medieval frescoes File:Zemen-monastery-st-anne-joachim.jpg, 14th-century fresco of

Joachim Joachim was, according to Sacred tradition, the husband of Saint Anne, the father of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary (mother of Jesus), and the maternal grandfather of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Gospel of James, part of ...

and

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

References

External links

{{Commons category, Zemen Monastery
Zemen Monastery at BulgarianMonastery.com
Christian monasteries established in the 11th century Christian monasteries in Bulgaria Bulgarian Orthodox monasteries Buildings and structures in Pernik Province Medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church buildings Mraka