Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery

According to its 1833 chronicle, the monastery was built in 1020 by the Bulgarian[2] clergyman John of Debar who was the last Patriarch of Bulgaria before the fall of the First Bulgarian Empire.[3] The Ottomans destroyed the monastery in the 16th century, but it was restored in 1743 by the monk Ilarion, who also constructed a number of cells for monks. The archimandrite Arsenius further expanded the monastery between 1812 and 1825. The historical record also mentions a monk Iov, recognized by some researchers as the future educator Yoakim Karchovski, a Bulgarian priest who became an important figure in the Bulgarian National Revival.[4]

Most of the old monastery complex was destroyed by a fire in 2009, while the new sections of the complex and church were saved. Reconstruction of the old sections began in May 2010 with the goal of restoring the buildings as closely as possible to their original style.

The monastery has a large collection of holy relics including John the Baptist, Clement of Ohrid, Lazarus of Bethany, Saint Stephen, Saint Nicholas, Saint Barbara, Paraskevi of Rome, Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha, and part of the Holy Cross.

Another valuable monastery treasure is an icon dating from 1020 with supposedly miraculous healing power.

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  Monastery of St. Jovan (John) Bigorski near Debar
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  View from the entrance of the monastery
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  Dome in Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery Complex near Rostuša, Debar Region
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  Inside the monastery
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  Bigorski August 2012
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  Monastery Sveti Jovan Bigorski
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  Bigorski August 2012
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  Bigorski Manastir
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  Bigorski Manastir
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  Candles and Fresco at Sv. Jovan Bigorski Monastery
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  Bigorski manastir
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  Christian religious buildings
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  An old postcard of Bigorski Monastery
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  Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery, photo from 1930's
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  from the 1930s
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  photo taken in 1930's
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  photo from 1930's

• The official website of the monastery in English
• St. John Bigorski
• gostivar.com