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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