The monastery was founded in 1083 , the Georgians from Grigorii Bakuriani - a great Domestica Western troops of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Abazii, his brother. Drawn up by order of the monastery founder statute (Typikon) is preserved in copies of Greek and Georgian language. In his secular and ecclesiastical authorities, incl. Metropolitan Philippopolis ( Plovdiv ), no right to interfere in the affairs of the monastery (Chapter 3) and access to it was closed for the monks Greeks (Chapter 24).
Bachkovo originally developed as a center of Georgian monasticism. At the end of the XI century there formed literary school known as spring Petritsonska - name coming from the original name of the next Petrich Fortress. Through translation of the writers working in the monastery, including the famous disciple of John Ital Georgian philosopher neoplatonik Petritsi John(about 1050 to 1130), the connections are made in medieval Georgia with Byzantium . Since that time they have saved two important buildings - the ossuary and the "St. Archangels" and the icon of the Virgin Mary, whose old silver plating was donated in 1311 by Athanasius and Georgians Okropir (Chrysostom).
In 1344 Stanimashki area was ceded to Ivan Alexander of Byzantine Empress Anna of Savoy against the promised help in the fight against John Cantacuzenus . For about twenty years the monastery enjoys the patronage of the Bulgarian king (whose portrait of the monastery ossuary see. Below). Bachkovo remains within the Tarnovo state until 1364, when the Ottomans conquered Plovdiv, Rodopi Stanimaka and other strongholds.
After the fall of Tarnovo in 1393 Patriarch Euthymius was driven "in Stenimah". It is believed that this is Bachkovo. Patriarch continued his literary work with his student Andrew Andronicus, and died about 1404 was (for his alleged grave see. below).
Bachkovo monastery survived the initial invasion of Turkish troops. Mentions
