List of cave monasteries

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
 * 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
 * Monastery of Saint Mark, Petroussa
 * 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 Kitaev Hermitage.jpg
 * 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 Kytaiv Pustyn, Kyiv

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