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Gorni Voden Monastery "St. St. Kirik and Yulita"

The Gorno Voden monastery is located in the Chernatitsa ridge in the West Rhodopes. It is about 1 km to the south of the residential district Gorni Voden of the town of Assenovgrad. It was founded during the Second Bulgarian kingdom, most probably in the 14th century, on the place of the existing at present holy spring. It was destroyed during the conversion of the Bulgarian population in Chepino to Mohammedanism in the 17th century. Later, towards the end of the century, the monastery was rebuilt on its present place under the name of "St. Petka". The monastery is a monument of culture and nowadays functions regularly. It offers sleeping accommodation and catering. Patron Saint's day on 15 July.

The old monastery was also restored later. In 1810 both monasteries were burnt down by the kurdjalii. In 1816 the restoration of the present monastery started again and ended in 1835. From the middle of the 19th century the monastery was Greek. In 1906 it was taken by a squad of men from Lyaskovo and since 1930 it has been officially Bulgarian. The monastery suffered seriously from a fire in 1924 and from the Chirpan earthquake (1928 ). In the 20-ies and the 30-ies of the 20th century a theological school was functioning in it. In the period 1943-1944 it was turned into a concentration camp. After September 9, 1944 the monastery was deserted and later it was turned into a Home for people with mental diseases. In the period 1983-1987 it was turned into a Club of the Union of the Bulgarian architects. The monastery is a complex including a church and residential buildings surrounding the vast yard from all sides. The monastery church "St. Petka" is a big one, three-nef, with two conchas, with a cupola and a narthex pseudo-basilica. It was built up in 1850. The dome of the large inner narthex is shaped as a blind cupola. The mural paintings were made mainly by the famous painter Alexi Atanasov. A valuable iconostasis was preserved as well as icons, painted by Zahari Zograf. The monastery well is located behind the apse. The monastery holy spring is about 500 m to the south-east, with the chapel "St.St. Kirik and Yulita". Fragments of wall paintings are preserved in it.