Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MONASTERY GROUNDS
The monastery compound (open 6am to 10pm) includes a main church and two museums,
guest rooms and a post office. Photos are prohibited inside the church. Souvenir shops sell
religious paraphernalia and holy water.
Drivers usually park near the western Dupnitsa gate; the eastern entrance is called the
Samokov gate. At both you'll find multilingual placards with historical details.
Within the monastery's walls, four levels of colourful balconies - with monastic cells,
storerooms, refectory and kitchen - surround the large courtyard and its magnificent
Church of Rozhdestvo Bogorodichno
(Church of the Nativity; Rila Monastery)
, Bul-
garia's grandest monastery church. Built between 1834 and 1837, the structure is crowned
by three domes. Its outside walls are covered with frescoes both vivid and harrowing (or
humorous, depending on your disposition): demons with whips, chains and pitchforks tor-
ture damned sinners in various states of woe and undress. The happier paintings depict the
virtuous, accompanied by angels and saints. Some are autographed by Zahari Zograf,
most eminent of Rila's painters. The gilded, intricately carved wooden iconostasis was
created by master artisans from Samokov and Bansko.
Note the need for proper attire. Long shorts are fine, but more revealing dress is forbid-
den. Luckily, a few sporting green tunics lie at the ready.
The monastery's
museum
(Rila Monastery; admission 8 lv; 8am-5pm)
, in the com-
pound's southeastern corner, contains collected 18th- and 19th-century ecclesiastical
paraphernalia, prints and bibles. The centrepiece is the astonishing
Rila Cross
, a double-
sided crucifix carved by a certain Brother Raphael between 1790 and 1802. It's incised in
miniature with 140 biblical scenes and inscriptions, and about 650 human figures. Not
surprisingly, Raphael ended up beatifically blind after so much staring through a magnify-
ing glass. To protect visitors from the same fate the monastery exhibits blown-up photos,
revealing the cross's incredible detail. Labelling is in Bulgarian only, but an English-lan-
guage booklet is available.
Beside the Samokov gate in the northeast of the monastic compound is the
Ethno-
graphic Museum
(admission 8 lv; 8am-5pm)
, displaying regional folk costumes, tex-
tiles and crafts. Again, labelling is in Bulgarian.
The nearby 23m-high stone
Hreliova Tower
(1335), named after a significant benefact-
or, is the only 14th-century structure remaining here. The monastery's
kitchen
(1816) is
in the northern wing's courtyard. The 22m-high chimney, caked with centuries' worth of
soot, cuts through all storeys, with 10 arched rows crowned by a small dome. Thousands
of pilgrims formerly dined here simultaneously, with food prepared in giant cauldrons -- a
single cauldron could fit an entire cow.
The
upper balcony
offers outstanding views over Rila Mountains.
