Southeast of Silistra City, in the main stream of Suha river, south of Golesht village, Silistra region, starts a colony of stone monasteries. The colony includes 7 monasteries Hitovo, Brestnitsa, Balik, Onagur with their numerous churches, crypts, cells, chapels located in the untouched nature which kept their original interior and exterior from late antiquity – 4th-6th centuries.
So far, these are the earliest monasteries in the Bulgarian lands. During the First Bulgarian Kingdom during the 9th and 10th centuries the monastery life was restored. Beside them, at the beginning of the 10th century, south of Drustur in the dry valley of Kanagio called Dristra in antiquity was established the second largest colony of monasteries. The most interesting monasteries around Alfatar city, villages V. Levski, Tsar Asen ,Ruyno, Varbino, Silistra region. According to another magnificently preserved monument kept from the end of 9th century by Tsar Asen, the early monastic life is associated with monk Manassas. It is assumed that he was one of the disciples of St. Methodius, contemporary and associate of St. Naum, St. Clement and St. Constantine of Preslav. The stone monasteries from Silistra are abandoned in the middle of the Pechenegs’ invasion. Their inhabitants moved south and west, where they mark the beginning of a new monastic colony along Provadiya river, Beli Lom river, Cherni Lom river and Rusenski Lom river.