The Rila Monastery is a twentieth-century monastery located in Southwest Bulgaria, Kyustendil District, Rila Municipality.
It was founded in the 10th century by St. Ivan Rilski in the upper flow of Rila River. Rila Monastery is one of the most important cultural monuments in Bulgaria, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The current monastery is located near the village of Pastra - not far from the site of its original construction.
The Rila River runs along it. This is the largest monastery in Bulgaria - 5 floors, with 4 of them visible. This characteristic of the building is explained by the constraints imposed by the Ottoman rule in 1834 when the current buildings were built.
The museum is located on the ground floor.
With its foundation, the Monastery became a literary and educational center. In 1778 the monastery „St. Ivan Rilski” becomes a victim of an elemental fire.
It was restored in 1784 by Alexi Rilets, who in 1816 - 1819 designed and built the eastern, northern and western wings.
A significant part of the monastery was rebuilt again in 1833, and its restoration was again carried out by Alexi under the leadership of the abbot of that time Joseph the Builder. In 1840 a new iconostasis of the church was built. During the Ottoman domination, the monastery was weakly fortified and was a frequent victim of raids. At the 7th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held from 5 to 9 December 1983 in Florence, Italy, The Rila Monastery is declared a World Heritage Site.
The Rila Monastery preserves manuscripts, old-printed books, documents from the 14th century - 19th century, and in the museum - many antique objects such as church plate, icons, weapons, coin collection, and more are kept.
We can organize an individual transfer from Sofia Airport, your hotel or address to Rila Monastery and vice versa for you and your family or friends. Уou will travel comfortably with our new cars with free WI-FI and you will be able to explore one of the most significant cultural monuments of Bulgaria.
The Rila Monastery is among the 100 National Tourist Sites. It is open for visits from 8am to 6pm.
Taking pictures in the monastery's church and museum is forbidden.
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