Sofia, Bulgaria
Excursion to Rila Monastery
Today we are heading to Southern Bulgaria to the world famous Rila Monastery. It really isn’t too far, only 119 km, a little over 70 miles. We were on the bus ready to go at 08:00 as directed. An hour and a half later we stopped in Piperevo at an OMV gas station for a potty break. It isn’t like there is an interstate highway leading here. It would be another hour before we reach the monastery itself.
Formally known as the Monastery of Saint John of Rila, but most often just called the Rila Monastery, is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains deep in the valley of the Rilska River("Rila River"). It sits in the Rila Monastery Nature Park at an elevation of 3,763 feet. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit actually lived in a cave without any material possessions not far from the monastery's location, while the complex was built by his students, who came to the mountains to receive their education.
The monastery is a popular pilgrimage site for many Orthodox Christians, and is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. It is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe and attracts more than a million visitors a year. Nicolai says it is still an active church, and we can hear a service going on when we arrive, although there are now only 8 monks in the complex.
Ever since its creation, Rila Monastery has been supported and respected by the Bulgarian rulers. Large donations were made by almost every tsar of the Second Bulgarian Empire until the Ottoman Conquest, making the monastery a cultural and spiritual centre of Bulgarian national consciousness that reached its apogee from the 12th to the 14th centuries.
Rila Monastery was re-erected at its present place by Hrelja, a feudal lord, during the first half of the 14th century. The oldest buildings in the complex date from this period is the Tower of Hrelja and a small church just next to it. The arrival of the Ottomans at the end of the 14th century was followed by numerous raids and a destruction of the monastery in the middle of the 15th century.
Thanks to donations by the Sultana Mara Branković, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Rossikon monastery of Mount Athos, Rila Monastery was rebuilt at the end of the 15th century by three brothers from the region of Dupnica. With Sultana Mara Branković's influence, Ivan of Rila's relics were moved from Tarnovo to the existing monastery 1469.
The complex acted as a depository of Bulgarian language and culture in the ages of foreign rule. During the time of the Bulgarian National Revival (18th and 19th centuries), it was destroyed by fire in 1833 and then reconstructed between 1834 and 1862 with the help of wealthy Bulgarians from the whole country. The erection of the residential buildings began in 1816, while a belfry was added to the Tower of Hrelyu in 1844. Neofit Rilski founded a school in the monastery during the period. The monastery is known as being one of the hideouts of Bulgarian revolutionaries.
The monastery complex, regarded as one of the foremost masterpieces of Bulgarian National Revival architecture, was declared a national historical monument in 1976 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The buildings aren’t as old as you want to believe they are, but they are quite beautiful.
We walked though the small museum which has a lot of early religious artifacts. We got to look into a monk's cell. Not that bad of a way to live. It wasn’t a sparse empty space but a nice room with several pieces of furniture. There is also a small room just as you enter the cell which is for a novice to live. The novice is responsible for making your food, keeping the fire lit, etc. A personal slave.
We had lunch at a small café just outside the monastery, CTPAHHOIIPNEHNIIA PHJIA. Nicolai suggested that the soups were particularly good in this region. So, we ordered soup (супи). There were two choices - Боб чорба и пилешка супа. Based on what we received I would venture to guess that one was bean soup and the other chicken soup. To drink we ordered two Каменица на чешмата, the local beer. We also ordered some bread. What we got was a large dinner roll, but quite tasty. The soup was excellent, although a little unusual. I posted photos on Facebook.
We got back on the bus and headed back to Sofia. Along the way we stopped at Boyana. We got to see the medieval Bulgarian Orthodox Church which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site. The church consists of three three parts. Or three buildings depending on how you want to look at it. They are all connected and the central asp of the church is one. The eastern end of the church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan. He ordered a second two story building to be erected next to and attached to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.
The art is amazing as the faces are more realistic than you would normally see in 10th or 13th century painting. Nicolai suggested that the renaissance in Italy happened after these frescos were painted. It is the renaissance that brought realism to the forefront.
Probably the most interesting thing however is the Sequoiadendron giganteum, also known as the giant sequoia, which was planted in the garden here in about 1908 by King Ferdinand. Nicolai thought he would have everyone stumped by what kind of tree it was, think again buster!
Dinner was a group dinner including Bulgarian dancing at ATM SerDika Restaurant. They started with a traditional Bulgarian salad which is tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded white cheese, bell pepper, although Nicolai suggested that was only at this restaurant, and parsley. The tomatoes here are really good and have lots of flavor. The cucumbers weren’t bad.
This was followed by a warm dinner roll. No butter or anything else with it. Ten minutes or so later can a breaded fried bell pepper filled with cheese and spices. The main dish was roast pork with gravy and roasted potatoes. The meal was excellent. The dancing was interesting and fun. Several members of our group got up and joined them. It was 22:00 by the time we got back to the hotel. Breakfast is at 07:00. Luggage at bus at 08:15 and the bus leaves at 08:30.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico e Maria
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