The Sukovo Monastery

Sukovo Monastery is located on the right bank of the Jerma River, only 15 km from Dimitrovgrad, at the foot of the mystical hill "Tsarev Kamen." This monastery belongs to the Eparchy of Niš Serbian Orthodox Church. It used to be a men's monastery, but today it is a women's monastery.

It is unknown who the monastery's founder was, as well as the century of construction; what is known is that the monastery church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to records, this monastery was destroyed several times.

Sukovo Monastery has an interesting history. The church was built on the foundations of an ancient church, and the painting was done in 1869. Nun Efimija from Pirot contributed greatly to the church building; she even went to Jerusalem for the occasion. In 1882, there was only an abbot and one hieromonk in the monastery, while they still needed a parish. During the First World War, the Bulgarians looted the monastery in 1915.

According to folklore, the present monastery church was built by Sali-bey from Pirot from 1857 to 1859 as a sign of gratitude for the recovery of his son Emin. One day while he was with his family in Sukovo, he noticed a young Serb, Velja from Veliko Selo, picking something on the ground. Velja was an orphan helped by Pope Jovan Madić, the parish priest at the time, by giving him a separate room in the church house. Velja constantly talked about the mysterious visions, voices, and dreams he experienced, but no one attached importance to his stories. 

Pope Jovan ordered his student Viden Jovanović to take fire to the brazier in Velja's room one cold winter night. Still, when Viden approached the door, he heard different voices singing, so he went away scared and told everything to Pope Jovan. Pop Jovan laughed at first, but when he also went to the door of Velja's room and heard the exact singing, he opened the door and saw that Velja was sleeping while no one else was in the room. Only then did Pope Jovan believe Velja that the Holy Virgin appeared to him in a dream and said a monastery would be dug in a place called "Church" between Bey's mills. 

Velja then came to Sukovo and started digging in that place with several peasants, where they found an old icon and a lamp. Then it was clear to them that there were the foundations of the ancient Christian church. Emin, Bey's son, was the first to find out about the excavation. He was furious about it. However, suddenly Emin got severe cramps in his legs and arms, so he started begging for help. No one knew what was going on. Finally, one peasant remembered Pope Jovan, who came and began to read prayers, after which the spasms in the Bey's son stopped. Then the Bey himself took off his hat, knelt, and kissed the hands of everyone present, including Velja.

The Sukovo Monastery has been under state protection since 1968, and two frescoes in it attract special attention. One depicts Saint Christopher with a halo and an animal head, and the other shows the Virgin Mary with wings.

The appearance of the church is fascinating. It has three semicircular asps in the shape of a triconchos. The eastern apse is used for the altar, while the northern and southern are used as a choir. It is covered with tiles, under which there is cut stone and lime.

On all the walls, the Last Judgment is painted, where the Holy Apostle Peter, with the keys in his hands, leads the righteous to heaven, and the devil leads sinners to hell. The story depicted in the frescoes is simple, and many of the frescoes are damaged. The church founders, Pope Jovan and Monk Benjamin are buried in the common grave at the entrance to the vestibule.

The church has three doors, while the central one is the main one and is opened only for the glory and great holidays.

We invite you to come and experience the unique spirit of Sukovo Monastery. Apart from visiting the monastery, we recommend staying at Hotel Happy Dimitrovgrad, which offers comfort, delicious food, and everything you need to feel you deserve. We guarantee that you will not be able to resist the charms offered by this region and Hotel Happy Dimitrovgrad. See you!