The Rila Monastery is situated on the southern-west slopes of Rila mountain, 1147 meters above sea level... It was founded in the 10th century by Ivan Rilski, and from the 10th to 14th centuries was situated 3 kilometers to the north-east of the present location. The monastery was destroyed several times between the 17th and 19th centuries. In 1335 the feudal Lord Hrelio built a turret and church, and today the turret is the oldest remaining building in the monastery. The principal monastery church was erected during the period of 1334 and 1337, with the frescoes (in excellent condition) done by Bulgarian Renaissance painters. In 1961 the monastery was inaugurated as a national museum...
Now I don't claim to be an expert on the Rila Monastery - After all, I'm American and my country is little more than 200 years old. Its possible the above paragraph might not be 100% accurate. Lets just say I was completely blown away by the monastery; the architecture, the frescoes, the isolated mountainous setting - the whole package. For more info on the Rila Monastery, check out http://www.bulgaria.com/resorts/monasteries/rila/.
Also, many thanks to Gwenn, my friend and colleague, for making the car rental arrangements and driving.
I have 35 pictures online, and have separated them onto 2 pages. Click on the links below to get there. Enjoy~
