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Go for Map | The picturesque Monasteries |
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Rila Monastery It was founded in the l0th century by the Bulgarian monk St. Ivan of Rila and was rebuilt in the l3th - l4th century. From that time are; the fortress tower (1334), the bishop's throne, richly carved doors and some manuscripts, icon-paintings and church plates. In the l5th century, when Bulgaria fell to the Ottoman Turks, the monastery was abandoned for a short time but it was restored in the second half of the 15th century. The Rila Monastery has been listed as a world monument of culture. |
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Bashkovo Monastery Lies in the valley of the Chepelare river. surrounded by the hills of the Rhodopi mountain, which together with its size and ancient spirit make it one of the most visited monasteries in Bulgaria. The complex have grown into a tourist sight where dozens of small shops, stalls, and restaurants , stand on both sides of the walkway to the gates. The monastery was founded in 1083 by a Byzantine military commander. The bone-vault is a must-see building there, for its unique wall-paintings, which rank among the most valuable works of Orthodox art. |
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Troyan Monastery The Troyan monastery, “Assumption of Virgin Mary”, is the third biggest monastery in Bulgaria, it lies 10 km to the southeast of the old Balkan town of Troyan, in the skirts of the Balkan mountain range. Built at about 400 meters above sea level, the biggest monastery in the Balkan mountains is surrounded by beautiful forests and the Cherni Osam river, which gives a particular charm to the place. The monastery’s complex is quite developed as a tourist site with plenty of shopping and dining outlets. |
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Boyana Church Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art. |
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Aladja rock Monastery
This is the most
preserved and accessible rock monasteries in Bulgaria, dating from
the early Middle Ages and conforming to the idea of silence,
asceticism and moral perfection. Monastic cells and a small church
have been dug into a sheer rock with differently colored old
frescoes. |
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Dragaleftsi Monastery
The “Virgin Mary of
Vitosha” monastery, is located about 3 km kilometers south of the
village of Dragaleftsi up in the lower parts of the Vitosha
mountain. One of the most beautiful and well preserved monasteries. |
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