Monastery "Introduction of the Virgin"

According to folk tradition, before the church was built, there was a small temple in this place where a solitary monk lived. The first cell school in the city was founded next to the church, so the place became a spiritual and educational center. With the adoption of the "Tanzimat" (1839), a period of social reforms began in the Ottoman Empire. Then the Bulgarians in Gorna Jumaya began to feel the need for a new church for their spiritual needs and in 1838 they sent a request to the Sultan for permission to build a new church. Construction began in 1840, as soon as they received the necessary firman (permission). The residents of the "Varosha" district, who then numbered about 150 people, built the church themselves with their own funds and labor. Even the women carried stones in their aprons to help. The construction lasted four years and in 1844 the church was consecrated. For its time, it was one of the richest and most opulent in the area. During the Renaissance, a new school was built in the churchyard, where prominent educators taught.

Today, the "Introduction of the Virgin" temple is a metropolitan church of the Nevrokop Diocese. It has been preserved in its authentic form and has been declared a national cultural monument.

The church is a three-nave basilica with an open nave (portico) from the west. The decorative layout of the church's facade suits the church in the Rila Monastery. The bell tower has been moved to the side of the temple complex.
The interior and the western facade are richly painted by masters from the Bansko art school. A characteristic feature is the very deep openwork carving of the iconostasis.
In the yard stands a memorial to the Gotse-Delchev family, as well as a monument to Major Ivan Pavlovich Orlinski, whose name is associated with the first liberation of Blagoevgrad from Turkish slavery.

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