“SVETI PANTALEYMON” MONASTERY – OBIDIM VILLAGE

“Sveti Pantaleymon” is the only monastery in Bulgaria that has three names. It was established in 1814 and named “Sv. Atanasii Aleksandriiski”. In November 1909 a worthy icon of the mother of God was sent as a gift for the Rila monastery from Aton monastery.

The weather was bad and the monk who carried the icon, lost the way. Since the icon didn`t arrive in The Rila monastery, all people who lived along the way to it, started looking for the icon and the monk. In March next year a shepherd from Obidim village saw various lights to sparkle from the old monastery. In the evening when he came back in the village he told what he saw in the monastery. The next morning some men from the village together with the local priest went there. They found the missing monk lying dead in front of the old monastery with the icon in his hands. The priest takes the icon in the church and sends a message about the icon that`s been found. From the Aton monastery arrives a message that says that the miraculous icon should stay where it was found.

The priests from Obidim and Dobrinishte decide to renew the old monastery near Obidim villagea start to collect donations about it. For three years from 1912 to 1915 the monastery was reconstructed. That is when the Christians gave the old monastery a new name – “Mother of God”. On the 27-th of July the metropolitan sanctifies the monastery and since it`s the day of Saint Pantaleymon, the monastery receives its third name.