List of cave monasteries explained

A cave monastery is a monastery built in caves, with possible outside facilities. The 3rd-century monk St. Anthony the Great, known as the founder of monasticism, lived in a cave.

Albania
- - - Qafthanë Cave Church, cave church near Urakë St. Mary's Church, cave church in Maligrad, an island in the Prespa lake
Armenia
- Geghard cave monastery/fortress
Bulgaria
- Aladzha Monastery
- Albotin Monastery
- Basarbovo Monastery
- Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo
- Cave monasteries of Krepcha
- Monasteries of Provadia
- Cave monasteries on the Plateau of Shumen
- Cave monasteries of Tervel
Ethiopia
- Monolithic church
France
- Abbey of Saint-Roman, Beaucaire, Gard^[1]
Georgia
- David Gareja monastery complex
- Vanis Kvabebi cave monastery/fortress, Javakheti Plateau
- Vardzia cave city and monastery
Greece
- various cave hermitages at Meteora
- various cave hermitages at Mount Athos
  - caves at Karoulia
  - Hungary
- Gellért Hill Cave chapels and monastery, Budapest
Iraq
- Rabban Hormizd Monastery, Alqosh
- Mar Qayuma Monastery, Dooreh
Israel
- Qumran Caves, once inhabited by the Essenes
North Macedonia
- Kališta Monastery, Struga
Romania
- Basarabi Cave Complex
- Corbii de Piatră
- Nămăiești
Russia
- Monastery of the Caves, Nizhny Novgorod
- Pskov Cave Monastery, Pskov Oblast
- Divnogorye and Saviour Convent, Voronezh Oblast
Serbia
- Blagoveštenje
- Crna Reka
- Gornjak
- Kađenica
- Churches of Kovilje Monastery
- Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, also known as the Cave Church, 14th-century church in Lukovo
- Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, in Rsovci, where was painted a unique fresco of bald Jesus
- Hermitage of St. Peter Koriški
- Savina
Thailand
- Wat Tham Khan, Sakon Nakhon province
- Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tam Sua), Krabi
Turkey
- Cappadocia cave monasteries
- Cave monastery of İnceğiz
- Church of Saint Peter
  - Ukraine Assumption Cave Monastery and Inkerman Cave Monastery in the Crimea
- Assumption Cave Monastery in Zymne, near Volodymyr
- Bakota Cave Monastery in Bakota, near Kamianets-Podilskyi
- Eletsky Monastery in Chernihiv
- Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and, Kyiv

In Bulgaria

Northeast Bulgaria

Rock monasteries near Ruse
- Basarbovo Monastery
- Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo
- Great Nisovo Rock Monastery (Голям Нисовски скален манастир), near Nisovo village
- Tabachka Cave Church, near Tabachka village
- Rock monasteries near Cherven village
  - Malkiya Rai Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Малкия Рай“)
  - Koshuta Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Кошута“)
  - Golemiya Rai Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Големия рай“)
  - Moskov Dol Rock Church (Скална църква „Москов Дол“)
- Krepcha Rock Monastery (Крепченски скален манастир), near Krepcha village
Rock monasteries near Tervel
- Rock monasteries near Balik and Onogur villages
  - Asar Evleri Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Асар евлери“)
  - Gyaur Evleri Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Гяур евлери“)
  - Sandakli Maara Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Сандъкли маара“)
  - Tarapanata Rock Monastery (Скална обител „Тарапаната“)
- Valchanova Staya Rock Hermitage (Скален скит „Вълчанова стая“), near Brestnitsa village
Barbino Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Върбино“), near Varbino village
Haidushki Kashti Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Хайдушки къщи“), near Kolobar village

Provadiya river valley

Rock monasteries situated in and around the Provadiya river valley:

Rock monasteries on the Shumen Plateau
- Osmar monasteries, near Osmar village
- Trinity (Troitsa) monasteries, near Troitsa village
- Hankrumovski Monastery, near Han Krum (Hankrum) village
- Divdyadovski Monastery, near Divdiyadovo village
- a 14th-century rock-hewn church on the northwestern edge of Shumen city
Rock monasteries near Nevsha
- Gyurebahcha Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Гюребахча“)
Petricha Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Петрича“), near Razdelna, Varna Province
Kisheshlika Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Кишешлика“), near Avren, Varna Province
Rock monasteries around Provadia
- Shashkanite Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Шашкъните“)
- Chukara Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Чукара“)
- Holy Archangel Gabriel Rock Chapel (Скален параклис „Св. Архангел Гавраил“)
- Sara Kaya Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Саръ кая“)
- Kara Cave Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Кара пещера“), just north of Manastir village
- Rock monasteries near Petrov Dol village
  - St. George Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Свети Георги“)
  - Golyamata / Big Rock Monastery (Seven Chambers / Hodaviah) (Скален манастир „Голямата канара“)
  - Gradishte Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Градище“)
- Tapanite Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Тъпаните“), near Blaskovo village
- Rojak rock monasteries: Dzheneviz Kanara Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Дженевиз канара“) or Golyamata Kanara Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Голямата канара“), near Rojak village
Aladzha Monastery near Varna

Others

St. Stefan Rock Monastery (Скален манастир „Св. Стефан“), Nikopol
Rock hermitages near the Krushuna Falls south of Krushuna village
St. Nicholas Rock Monastery (Gligora) (Скален манастир „Свети Никола“ (Глигора)), near Karlukovo village
St. Ivan Pusti Monastery (Манастир „Свети Иван Пусти”), near Bistrets, Vratsa Province
Albotin Monastery, northwestern Bulgaria

References

"Mysteries of caves in the Chernihiv area", and article in Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, (the Mirror Weekly), January, 2004, available online in Russian and in Ukrainian

Notes and References

http://www.abbaye-saint-roman.com/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=2 Abbey of Saint-Roman