Lyaskovets

Near Tarnovo, Lyaskovets grew from neighboring hamlets, each gathered around its own church. To the south stood the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul, a prominent Orthodox foundation whose history was bound to that of the surrounding communities. The settlement took shape around five quarters named for their churches, as newcomers settled alongside earlier inhabitants.

Under Ottoman rule, Lyaskovets and several neighboring villages enjoyed privileges confirmed in later decrees, although local accounts suggest that these protections were not always respected in practice. The monastery was a center of an uprising against Ottoman rule in 1700, and in 1708 it received a gold-covered Gospel from Peter the Great of Russia. Near the end of the 18th century, people fleeing raids on the nearby village of Chertovets settled at the eastern edge of Lyaskovets.