Description of the attraction
The Rila Monastery, the most famous and largest monastery in Bulgaria, was founded in the 10th century by the hermit Ivan Rilski. At the beginning of the 15th century, the monastery was heavily allowed and plundered, but was soon restored. In 1833, a raging fire caused great damage to the monastery, so many of the monastery's buildings date back to the 19th century.
The oldest building on the territory of the monastery is the Hrel Tower, built in 1335. On its top floor was the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The walls of the church are covered with the remains of frescoes.
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was rebuilt after a fire in 1834-1837. Its architecture combines elements of a Romanesque basilica, Athonite cross-domed church and an Italian domed cathedral. Outside, the temple is flanked by an arched gallery. Here is the largest iconostasis in Bulgaria, created in 1842 by the craftsmen of the Samokov school of woodcarvers. The frescoes of the temple were made in 1840-1872 by unknown craftsmen with funds collected throughout Bulgaria.
Cell bodies located along the perimeter of the monastery courtyard were also built after the commemorative fire. There are more than 300 cells, four chapels, rooms for guests of the monastery, utility rooms.
The Rila Monastery Museum presents collections of gold and silver utensils, old coins, precious jewelry, weapons, clothing, and embroidery. There is also an ethnographic collection, which exhibits works of art and handicrafts, numerous gifts to the monastery.
The monastery library contains over 20 thousand volumes of the rarest books and manuscripts.
