Rila Monastery
Bulgaria · Rila Mountains · 1147 m
Description
The Rila Monastery (Рилски манастир) is the largest and most visited monastery in Bulgaria and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hidden in a forested valley of the Rila mountains at over a thousand metres. Founded in the tenth century around the hermitage of Ivan Rilski, it was rebuilt after a fire in the nineteenth and now presents four storeys of striped arcades in black, white and red enclosing a courtyard. Frescoes cover every surface of the church porch in dense biblical scenes. The stone Hrelyo tower is the only medieval part still standing, and monks still live inside. Day visitors arrive by the coachload.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 1 day)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Monastery courtyard and striped arcades
- Frescoes of the Nativity church porch
- Hrelyo Tower
- Monastery museum and the Rafail cross
- Hermitage and tomb of Saint Ivan of Rila(Day trip)
- Monastery kitchen and refectory
- Forest walks in the Rilska valley
- Mekitsi and monastery bread at the gate
- Stob earth pyramids(Day trip)