Rila monastery

by ElHefe

Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria


It was founded in the 10th century by Saint John of Rila

Situated in the southwestern Rila mountains, deep in the valley of the Rilska river at an elevation of 1150m


The whole complex occupies an area of 8800m²


The four-storey residential part consists of 300 chambers, four chapels, donor’s room, an abbot’s room, kitchen and library with 250 manuscripts and 9000 old printed matters


The main church of the monastery was erected in the middle of the 19th century by architect Pavel Ioanov, who worked on it from 1834 to 1837

Church has five domes, three altars and two side chapels

Frescoes




Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862


From 1983 it’s under UNESCO World heritage list


Graveyard

There are many more monasteries around Bulgaria, but most solitude is Rozhen near Melnik








External frescoes of the church

Bachkovo monastery near Plovdiv





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