Description of the attraction
The Kurilov Monastery of St. Ivan Rilski is located on the banks of the Iskar River, one kilometer northeast of the town of Novi Iskar and 12 kilometers from the town of Sofia.
The monastery was founded during the period of the First Bulgarian Kingdom - in the 9th-10th centuries and is one of the oldest in the Sofia diocese. During the years of the beginning of Ottoman slavery, it was destroyed. In 1593 the monastery was restored with funds donated by residents of local villages - Kumaritsa, Trebich and Dobroslavtsi. At the same time, a church was built, which has survived to this day. The frescoes in the church are by the famous Bulgarian artist Pimen Zograf. At the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery housed a printing center specializing in the publication of Christian literature.
Currently, the active Kurilov monastery complex consists of a temple and residential buildings. From the ancient monastery to the present day, only the temple has survived - a one-nave structure with one apse (a semi-cylindrical extension in the altar part) and two vestibules. The dimensions of the church are 15 meters long and 5.5 meters wide. The building has been rebuilt and reconstructed several times. Inside it, there are frescoes from different historical periods. Of greatest interest are the surviving fragments of frescoes based on scenes from the Holy Scriptures: The Dormition of the Theotokos, The Last Supper, The Massacre of the Babies of Bethlehem, The Washing of the Feet, etc. On the eastern wall is the image of the patron saint of the church, St. John of Rila. The murals, dated 1596, probably belong to Saint Pimen of Sophia.
During the period of Ottoman rule, the holy monastery was an important spiritual and religious center of the Sofia region. Today the monastery houses monuments of Bulgarian culture - unique examples of handwritten books.
