with the financial aid of Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus. The monastery was also given numerous metochia (properties) in parts of Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, and modern-day Turkey, but retains today only those in Greece. The monastery exists in its modern appearance since the 16th century, while its present-day buildings date from the middle 18th century. The south wing was built in 1750, the east in 1758, the small church was erected in 1764 and the large one in 1801. The north and west wing are from the second half of the 19th century and large-scale construction ended in 1896 with the Saints Cyril and Methodius Church and the raising of the bell tower. Among the numerous relics and other holy objects treasured at the monastery is the Wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos "Of the Akathist," the feast day of which is celebrated on October 10. Since Mount Athos uses the traditional Julian Calendar, the day they celebrate as October 10 currently falls on October 23 of the modern Gregorian Calendar. Today the Monastery has 15 monks. Library The Zograf Monastery houses a library of major significance to Bulgarian culture, preserving medieval manuscripts such as a 15th-century copy of the passional of Saint Naum of Ohrid, the 14th-century passional of Saint Paraskevi, the original draft of Paisius of Hilendar's Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, and the History of Zograf. The monastic library contains 388 manuscripts in Church Slavonic and 126 in Greek, as well as about 10,000 printed books altogether. Two medieval Bulgarian royal charters, the Zograf Charter and the Rila Charter, were discovered in the monastery's library. Honours Zograf Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the Zograf Monastery. The monastery and its seal are depicted on the obverse of the Bulgarian 2 levs banknote, issued in 1999 and 2005. On March 21, 2011, the Bulgarian National Bank issued a commemorative silver coin with nominal value of 10 levs featuring the monastery. Gallery References External links Zograf Monastery (in Bulgarian) Zograf Monastery at Pravoslavieto.com (in Bulgarian) Zographou Monastery at the Mount Athos website 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders Orthodox icon and synaxarion. The Holy Martyrs of Zographou from The Prologue from Ohrid. Bulgarian Orthodox monasteries Monasteries on Mount Athos Byzantine sacred architecture Medieval Athos Christian monasteries established in the 10th century Byzantine monasteries in Greece Medieval Bulgarian