Eleshnitsa monastery "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" - History

The monastery is located 4 km north of the village Eleshnitsa Elin Pelin, Sofia. Monastery was declared a monument of culture and architecture. Nowadays the monastery is active , but there not monks. As the story of this spiritual center is too long , there is no specific time of occurrence , but it is assumed that it was inhabited by hermit monks in  ninth century. In research studies found a marble slab on which an inscription from 1499 . This provides information that the monastery was founded in the 14th century when they established many monasteries around Sofia, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Alexander. Like other monasteries of Sofia Minor and he was destroyed by the Ottomans . The monastery was rebuilt for 16-17 century. In the 19th century there was hiding Vasil Levski , and when in 1876 Hristo Botev detachment was defeated , some of the surviving rebels find refuge and shelter in the monastery. The monastery is rich in many architectural and scenic information that we receive . The monastery is typical of the Late Middle Ages , it nave with two floors, the first are the premises for cattle, and the second - the monks' cells .