Rila Monastery
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UNESCO Heritage

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

Rila Monastery

The Rila Monastery was founded by the Hermit Ivan Rilski and his students in the 10th century A.D. Secluded in the wilderness of the Rila Mountain, at an altitude of 1147 meters above the sea level, the Monastery impress not only with its beautiful architectural complex of cult spread on an area of 8000 square metres, but also with the breathtaking nature around the monastery. The Rila Monastery complex include residential and industrial buildings, five-domed main church, the Hrealoyva Tower, a rich library and a museum collection of more than 35 000 exhibits.

Concerning the story of his founder, the earliest sources point out that, St. Ivan was born in 876 A.D. in the small village of Skrino located in the Ruen Mountain in Bulgaria. Raised in piety by his parents, St. Ivan lived a virtuous life of approximately 70 years. He did not waste his time in pointless conversation and empty wanton pursuits. St. Ivan lost his parents when he was 25 years old. He began to share his food and possessions with the poor and helped those in need. Nevertheless, his peers made fun of him, cursed him and even made him abandon his house, as his acts of kindness and behaviour looked very strange to them. Therefore, he decided to follow his dream and become a monk. He gave all his money to the poor and went to one of the monasteries in the Ruen Mountain and became a monk. Yet, he did not spend long period of his life in the monastery as he had a desire for solitary life. Thus, he went up in the Ruen Mountain and made a hut from shrubs where he spent his time in spiritual practices, such as fasting, vigil and prayer. Again, his behaviour looked completely strange to the people, and they thought that St. Ivan was a wizard. Thus, they gathered and demolished his hut, beat him and threaten St. Ivan to leave the place, otherwise they would kill him. Therefore, St. Ivan left Mount Ruen and went into the wild and impenetrable Rila Mountains. He lived in the hollow trunks of trees or in caves. A couple of shepherds first spotted him while St. Ivan was herding their cattle. Then, St. Ivan cured a man who was brought to him by rabbis. Word of his holiness spread quickly throughout the kingdom.

With the time, more and more people gathered to seek solitude and a life devoted to God. St. Ivan did not send them away, and they settled around him in the Rila Mountain. People built a small monastery and a church, and St. Ivan became their abbot. After his blissful passing, St. Ivan's fame grew yet more. People from all over went to the Rila Mountain wilderness to bow down before his relics, and many were healed from various disease by this ritual.

The Monastery is under the protection of UNESCO since 1983.

Text content reference: Revised and expanded edition of 'A Guide to the Rila Monastery', written by Archimandrite Kliment;

Boyana church
Boyana church
Boyana church

Boyana Church

At the foot of Vitosha Mountain, in the Boyana neighbourhood of Sofia, the Capital of Bulgaria, situated in a magnificent park, is the small Boyana Church.

The church was built in three different time periods. The first part of the building was constructed in the late tenth or early eleventh century. It is a cross-vaulted brick building with approximately a meter thick walls. The facade of the north-south wall of Boyana Church is decorated with three arches adorned with archivolts of wolf’s tooth pattern. It is estimated that the second part of the building was constructed in the mid-thirteenth century and funded by the ruler of Sredets(Sofia), Sebastocrator Kalyon and his adorable wife Desislava. The last section of the Boyana Church was constructed around 1845 with funds of the local community. The purpose of the third section is to be as an extension to the existing small church.

The walls of the oldest section of Boyana church are painted in two layers: the first layer dates back to the twelfth century and depicts fragments of scenes and individual figures of saints, whereas the second is dated to 1259.

The Boyana Church unique frescoes, dated 1259, fascinate as vital and true to life. They are an invaluable part of the world heritage of visual arts.

In 1979, the Boyana Church was added to UNESCO's World Cultural and Natural Heritage List on account of the universal value, the realism, and the spirtual expressiveness of its thirtheen century murals.

Text content reference: BG 6/12/60 brochures - eu2018bg.bg;

Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo
Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo
Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo

Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo

The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo are located 20 km south of the city of Ruse in north-eastern Bulgaria. The monastery complex of monolithic churches and chapels is very distinct from all other monasteries in Bulgaria. The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo are on the high rocks of the Rusenski Lom River in the Rusenski Lom Nature Park. The complex of rock-hewn churches are elevated 32 meters above the river. However, the uniqueness and the fame of the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo are not only because of the unique architectural style but also because of the beautiful and well-preserved frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries.

The monks inhabited the Rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo from 1220 to the 17th century. During its peak, the monastery complex had about 40 churches and other premises were around 300. However, most of them are not preserved to the present day. The rock premises used by the monks include the St. Archangel Michael Chapel ("The Buried Church"), the Baptistery, the Gospodev Dol Chapel, the St. Theodore Church ("The Demolished Church") and the main church, with its 14th century frescoes. The main church is the most famous of all Rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo and is noted as some of the most representative examples of Palaeologan art.

The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979.

Madara Rider
Madara Rider
Madara Rider

Madara Rider

The Madara Rider or Madara Horseman is a large medieval rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau located east of the town of Shumen in northeastern Bulgaria, near the village of Madara. The monument is dated to the very late 7th or more often the very early 8th century, during the reign of the Bulgarian Khan Tervel. It was discovered for the science in 1872 and in 1979, the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Madara Rider relief sculpture depicts a majestic horseman, approximately 23 m above ground level, carved into an almost vertical high cliff. The horseman, is represented in triumphal postion, thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet, and on the left a dog is running after the horseman. In the 20th century, near the relief of the Madara Rider was found a group of buildings. The basilica with inner rectangular structure is dated to the 5th–6th century.

The Madara Rider complex have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979.

Srebarna
Srebarna
Srebarna

Srebarna Nature Reserve

The Srebarna Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in northeastern Bulgaria within the Southern Dobruja region, is a remarkable ecological site near the village of Srebarna. It is located 18 kilometers west of Silistra and 2 kilometers south of the Danube River. The reserve, centers around Lake Srebarna and its surrounding habitats. Its strategic position along the Via Pontica, a major migratory route for birds traveling between Europe and Africa, provides a critical sanctuary for numerous endangered bird species, offering both nesting grounds and stopover habitats.

As a protected area recognized by UNESCO, the reserve spans 6 square kilometers, with an additional 5.4 square kilometers designated as a buffer zone to safeguard its rich biodiversity. The lake’s depths, varying from 1 to 3 meters, sustain an array of wildlife that highlights the ecological significance of this world-renowned heritage site.

The reserve was recognized as World Natural Heritage Site under the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

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