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 Christian 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

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Zavala monastery

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

Egypt

• St. Simon the Tanner Monastery

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

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

Japan

• various cave hermitages at Mount Hiko

Montenegro

• Ostrog Monastery

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

• Bakhchysarai Cave Monastery in Crimea

• in Crimea

• in Crimea

• Inkerman Cave Monastery in Crimea

• Assumption Cave Monastery in Zymne, Volyn Oblast

• Bakota Cave Monastery in Bakota, Khmelnytskyi Oblast

• in Crimea

• Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Near and Far Caves) in Kyiv

• in Kyiv

• in Crimea

• Sviatohirsk Lavra in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast

• Yeletskyi Monastery (Saint Anthony's Caves) in Chernihiv

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

• Varbino 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

See also

• Indian rock-cut architecture

• Monolithic architecture

• Monolithic church

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