Rila Monastery. Rila Monastery in Bulgaria From Hisarya to Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery (Bulgaria) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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Rila Monastery is the main shrine of Bulgaria. This is a monastery, and it is located in the Rila Mountains about 120 km from the Bulgarian capital - Sofia.
The Rila Monastery dates its history back to the 10th century, and its founder is considered to be St. John of Rila. The monk settled in one of the caves in mountain Rila, and his students and followers began building a shrine here.
The fate of the Rila Monastery faced many trials: the monastery survived an earthquake, a severe fire, and was even plundered by the Turks, but was always revived by the inhabitants of Bulgaria.
Today, several shrines are kept in the Rila Monastery - these are the relics of John of Rila and the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” (“Guide”). People come here to also see the Raphael Cross, which depicts 104 religious scenes and 650 figures. The Rila Monastery is also famous for its magnificent wall frescoes. In addition, there is a rich library and museum on its territory.
Exactly 30 years ago, the Rila Monastery was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For tourists, there are always restaurants, souvenir shops and cozy hotels near the monastery.
An excursion to the Rila Monastery can be made from any Bulgarian resort. So, if you travel from Albena, the excursion trip will take two days. During this time, tourists, as a rule, have time to visit the sights of Sofia, the house of the prophetess Vanga in Rupite, and the temple-monument of the Nativity of Christ.
Address: Rila Monastery, Bulgaria
Trip program:
Departure from Odessa at 7:00. Transit through the territory of Romania. Overnight in Ruse (Bulgaria).
Day 2. Wednesday. October 31
Breakfast. Transit through the territory of Bulgaria. Monastery of John of Rila, veneration of the relics of St. John. Moving to Greece. Overnight in Ouranoupolis.
Day 3. Thursday. Nov. 1
Breakfast. For men - a visit to the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, veneration of the relics stored there. For women - a boat trip along the coast of the Holy Mountain (weather conditions permitting). Veneration of the relics, which will be brought on the ship from one of the Athos monasteries (if possible). Overnight in Thessaloniki.
Day 4 Friday. November 2
Breakfast. Visit to the churches of Thessaloniki: the Basilica of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, which houses the relics of St. Demetrius, St. martyr Anisia, St. Gregory Kallidis, and also St. source. The Basilica of Achiropiitos is the oldest surviving temple in the city. The temple contains two miraculous icons of the Mother of God. Cathedral Church of St. Sophia of the Wisdom of God (the relics of St. Basil the New). Monastery of St. Theodora of Thessaloniki (relics of St. Theodora and St. David of Thessalonica). Church of St. Gregory Palamas, where the relics of this great father of the Church are kept. Transfer to the town of Kalambaka at the foot of the Meteor rocks.
Day 5 Saturday. the 3rd of November
Breakfast. Moving to Meteora - a monastery complex, which began in the 14th century by St. Afanasy Meteorsky. During its heyday, the number of monasteries reached 24. The monasteries have survived to this day, of which 6 are active: 4 for men and 2 for women. Visit to 3 Meteor monasteries. Optional visit to an icon painting workshop. Departure to the port city of Igoumenitsa. Departure by ferry to the island. Corfu. Festive evening service in the Church of St. Spiridon. Hotel accommodation. Overnight.
Day 6 Sunday. November 4
Festive Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. Procession with the relics of the saint. The Cathedral, where the relics of St. Queen Theodora, who restored icon veneration. Return by ferry to the mainland, transfer to Patras.
Hotel accommodation. Overnight.
Day 7 Monday. November 5
Breakfast. Cathedral of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, veneration of the relics of the saint and the cross on which he was crucified. Church of St. Great Martyr Irene, in which the venerable head of the saint is kept. Moving to the vicinity of Kalavryta.
Monastery of the Holy Lavra. This famous monastery played an important role in the history of the Greek people, and despite the destruction suffered at the hands of the Turks and Nazis, it preserved its shrines - the honest heads of St. Alexia is a Man of God and is right. Philaret the Merciful. The Great Cave Monastery (Mega Spileo) is the oldest in Greece, which houses the miraculous image of the Mother of God, sculpted from wax mastic. In the cave in which the icon was found there is a holy spring. In a separate chapel are kept the heads of the monastery's patrons - the Venerables Simeon, Theodore and Euphrosyne, as well as the relics of many revered saints. Moving to Sparta. Hotel accommodation. Overnight.
Day 8 Tuesday. November 6
Breakfast. Moving to Mystras - one of the most amazing places in Greece. Founded as a Frankish fortress on top of an inaccessible cliff in the foothills of Taygetos, Mystras soon became one of the most prominent cities of Byzantium, influencing the history of not only Greece, but throughout Europe. This is where the famous Renaissance begins. In this city in 1449 the last emperor of Byzantium was crowned. Having outlived Constantinople by 7 years, Mystras is often called “the last capital of Byzantium.” Nowadays, Mystras is an open-air museum, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and only the nuns of the monastery of Our Lady of the Queen are residents of this ghost town. The best preserved temples of this city are decorated with magnificent frescoes; they testify to the extraordinary cultural and spiritual upsurge of the Paleologian era.
Monastery of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste. This monastery in the vicinity of Sparta has been one of the spiritual centers of the Laconia region for eight centuries. The miraculous image of the Forty Martyrs and part of their relics are kept in the cathedral church of the monastery.
Monastery of Panagia Malevi. The monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God Malevi is widely known in the Orthodox world thanks to its shrine - the myrrh-streaming icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, famous for its numerous healings in recent years. Moving to Athens. Check into a hotel. Overnight.
Day 9 Wednesday. November 7
Breakfast. The Areopagus is the place where the Apostle Paul delivered his famous sermon about the “unknown God.” Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which houses the relics of St. Patriarch-Martyr Gregory V and Venerable Martyr Philothea of Athens. Transfer to the port of Piraeus. Departure by ferry to the island of Aegina. Holy Trinity Monastery, where the relics of St. Nectarius of Aegina. Return to the mainland, transfer to the island of Euboea. Temple of Righteous John the Russian in the city of Prokopion on Euboea, where the incorruptible relics of St. John. Overnight.
Day 10 Thursday. November 8
Monastery of St. David of Euboea. Veneration of the relics of the saint. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Transfer by ferry to the mainland. The convent of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Kato Xenias at the foot of Mount Ophrys, which according to the beliefs of the ancients was the dwelling of the Titans. The monastery houses two shrines: the ancient miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary Panagia Xenia (one of the most revered icons in Greece) and a large part of the Belt of the Virgin Mary, transferred here in the 16th century from the Vatopedi monastery. For pilgrims, especially women, a visit to the Kato Xenias monastery is a unique opportunity to venerate the Belt of the Virgin Mary calmly and without long queues. Monastery of St. ap. John the Theologian in Suroti, where the relics of St. Arseny of Cappadocia and the grave of St. Paisius of the Svyatogorets. Overnight in the vicinity of Thessaloniki.
Day 11 Friday. November 9
Breakfast. Transit through the territory of Bulgaria. Overnight near the border with Romania in Ruse.
Day 12 Saturday. 10th of November
Breakfast. Transit through the territory of Bulgaria and the Odessa region. Arrival in Odessa in the evening.
The Pilgrimage Center under the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reserves the right to change the sequence of visits to the shrines provided for in the program.
Participation in the pilgrimage from 610 euros
Includes:
- transport and excursion support according to the program;
- breakfasts;
- accommodation in 3* hotels;
- medical insurance;
- tickets for ferries according to the program.
Does not include:
- lunches and dinners;
- boat trip for women along Mount Athos (25 €);
- registration of diamonitirion and ferry for men (25 € +15 €)
List of documents required for travel
.
1. International passport.
2. Questionnaire
3. For minors:
- children's passport;
- birth certificate;
- notarized permission from the second parent for the child to travel abroad.
4. For holders of an old-style passport, a visa is required.
The Rila Monastery was founded in the thirties of the 10th century by the disciples of St. John of Rila (876 – 946).
The Orthodox shrine is located in the valley of the river of the same name, one hundred and seventeen kilometers south of the Bulgarian capital. Throughout its existence, the Rila Monastery was actively supported by the Bulgarian rulers, who donated significant sums of money for its needs.
The heyday of the monastery fell on the XII-XIV centuries. In the 15th century, the Rila shrine was destroyed by the Turks, but starting in 1469 (the time of the transfer of the relics of John of Rila to the monastery), it began to be actively revived, largely thanks to the help of the Russian Orthodox Church. Starting from the 16th century, the Rila Monastery began to actively cooperate with other Slavic monasteries. In 1983, the main Bulgarian attraction became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Monastery of St. John of Rila is located on an area of eight thousand eight hundred square meters. It has the shape of an irregular quadrangle, in the center of which is the main Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which has five domes, three altars and two chapels, and the five-story Khrel's Tower (1335), which was used for a long time by the monks as a citadel.
On the territory of the Holy Monastery, surrounded by twenty-two-meter stone walls, there is an ancient library with handwritten books of the 11th-19th centuries and a monastery museum, the collection of which contains a rich collection of icons and the famous Raphael Cross with numerous religious scenes carved on it (104 scenes) and miniature figures (650 pieces) the size of a grain of rice. The monastery complex also includes a variety of church, residential and utility buildings. The Rila Monastery houses the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Osenovitsa (12th century) and the heart of Tsar Boris III.
Rila Monastery - PHOTO
Rila Monastery (Rila) is a famous Bulgarian Shrine, an object of pilgrimage and tourism, one of the symbols of the country. The Rila Monastery has always been the spiritual and cultural center of Bulgaria, experiencing ups and downs. And today it remains a place where everyone who comes to Bulgaria strives to get.
The holy monastery is located 120 kilometers from the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, in the picturesque forests of the Rila Mountains, at an altitude of 1147 meters above sea level.
The Rila Monastery was founded at the beginning of the 10th century. The history of the monastery is connected with the name of the hermit St. John of Rila, who lived in a cave in these places. You can now go to that cave along a path about 4 kilometers long. (Only for this you need to come to the monastery calmly, and not with a tourist group that is always in a hurry). The Church of the Assumption of St. John of Rila was built next to that cave.
The monastery has a rich, rich history; you can find out more in the museum, which has been operating for over 100 years. The most valuable exhibit is a wooden cross with miniature carvings, made in 1802 by Father Raphael. There are 600 miniature figures carved on the cross, depicting 36 biblical scenes (18 on each side of the cross).
In the 14th century, after the earthquake, the Rila Monastery was significantly rebuilt, turning into a real fortress. However, this did not stop the Turks from plundering and destroying the monastery in the 15th century.
All that remains from that old monastery is essentially the 24-meter Khrel's Tower, built in 1335.
On the last fifth floor of the tower there is the Chapel of the Transfiguration of the Lord. We didn't climb the tower. It seems it was closed to entry.
The revival of the monastery began in the second half of the 15th century after three brothers from Kyustendil, David, Teofan and Yoasaf, received a special safe-conduct from the Sultan. In those years, an agreement on mutual assistance was concluded between the Rila monastery and the monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos. The original contract is kept in the monastery museum. The Russian Orthodox Church also provided significant assistance.
In 1961, the Holy Rila Monastery was declared a National Museum, and in 1976 - a National Historical Reserve. In 1983, UNESCO included the Rila Monastery on the List of World Cultural Heritage.
Since 1991, the monastic status of the monastery has been restored again. Nowadays the Holy Rila Monastery is a functioning monastery.
The center of the monastery is the magnificent five-domed Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, built in 1834-37 on the site of an old church.
The interior of the temple is decorated with luxurious murals and carved iconostases.
Photography is not allowed inside the temple, so photographers have a blast photographing the equally magnificent exterior paintings.
The temple contains the relics of St. John of Rila and several miraculous icons.
We were lucky that during our time in the church, access to the relics was open, which does not happen often.
In total, the Rila Monastery has about 300 different rooms, most of which tourists are not allowed into. Most of the buildings are from the 19th and 20th centuries.
We managed to visit one of the 100 monastic cells of a completely modern appearance.
In general, the monastery does not leave the impression of an ancient one at all. All structures look freshly built and painted. That’s why all this splendor seems not quite real, or something... It’s not often that you come across places like this, kept in such perfect condition.
At first glance, the structure amazes with its beauty: openwork arches, colorful frescoes with the faces of saints and scenes from the Holy Scriptures, covering the entire interior space, including passages and domes, carved gates of the 14th century, a tower with a chapel.
Nowadays, tourists visit the shrine to learn more about the deeds of the saint, enjoy the beautiful architecture of the monastery and unique wall icon paintings. There are especially many pilgrims during patronal holidays: July 1 - the day of transferring the relics of John of Rylsky from Tarnovo to the monastery, August 18 - the date of the repose of the saint and October 19 - the transfer of the relics from Sredets to Tarnovo.
Historians and philologists also come to the monastery, since the local library contains the most valuable books, many of which exist in a single copy.
History of the Rila Monastery
The Monk John of Rila, canonized during his lifetime, lived for a long time as a hermit in the mountains, preaching asceticism and spiritual self-improvement. The fame of his wisdom spread throughout the region, and near the cave where he settled, his followers founded a monastery in 927. Their activities found support from the authorities, and soon this place became not only a religious, but also a cultural center of the country.
During the era of Ottoman rule, the Rila Monastery made a significant contribution to the preservation of the Bulgarian language and culture. A fire that occurred in 1833 destroyed most of the buildings, but thanks to the efforts and help of believers, the monastery was restored again and acquired its current appearance.
At the end of the 20th century, the monastery was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is noteworthy that it still operates to this day - 8 monks permanently live in it.
Monastic values
People visit the Rila Monastery, first of all, to touch the shrines that are kept there. The relics of St. John of Rila, which have miraculous properties, are located in a shrine in front of the altar icon of Jesus Christ. They are hidden behind a velvet curtain, which is raised after the end of services and on patronal feast days. They can also be shown at the request of pilgrims. After the prayer, which is read near the incorruptible remains of the saint, everyone present is given a consecrated piece of cotton. The images of John of Rylsky, located in the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and above the shrine with relics, are also credited with the ability to heal from many diseases.
One of the most famous icons of the Rila Monastery is the image of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”, which translated means “Guide”. Many miracles are associated with this shrine, but most often people turn to it for healing. This is not just an icon, but a reliquary in which the incorruptible remains of 32 saints are stored: Lazarus, the First Martyr Stephen, the Apostles Andrew and Matthew, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. John the Merciful, Martyr Andrew Stratilates, St. Mary Magdalene and others, and in the very center there is a small image of the Mother of God. The relics are located in separate cells, and their names are engraved on silver partitions. The iconostasis also includes a magnificent fresco depicting the faces of these same saints.
Moving to the northern part of the Rila Monastery, visitors enter the museum. The center of its rich exhibition is the altar carved cross of monk Raphael. The shrine, whose height is just over 80 cm, is made of linden. The master spent 12 years making it, lost his sight and health while working, but now people can admire a real work of art. It depicts more than 100 different biblical scenes, and also carved 650 figures of saints - each of them no larger than a grain of rice.
In addition, the museum houses the first globe made in Bulgaria, a huge collection of coins, weapons, and a rich collection of icons. The pride of the monastery is its library, which includes unique handwritten and early printed publications. Some of them date back to the 11th century.
The exhibition “Monastery Household” will allow you to get acquainted with the way of life of the monks and learn more about how their day goes. During the excursion, tourists will also be shown the cells of confessors.
Arriving at the monastery, you should definitely visit the cave of the “abbot of all Bulgaria” John of Rylsky, where he spent the last days of his life. This place is indicated by the modest chapel of St. Luke and John of Rila.
Visit to the monastery
Rila Monastery receives visitors daily from 8:00 to 18:00. In summer you can also climb the tower: it offers a beautiful view of the courtyard and the surrounding mountains.
There are rooms for pilgrims in a separate building, so you can spend the night here if you wish. However, it is important to remember the rules of conduct, since this is a working monastery, not a hotel.
You can get here from any Bulgarian resort - field trips to the shrine are regularly organized. If tourists want to go on an independent trip, it is best to leave Sofia. From the Ovcha Kupel bus station, a bus leaves daily at 10:20 to Rila station, from where you can take a taxi (the monastery is only 10 km away). The bus leaves back at 17:00. The approximate ticket price is 11 BGN. You can also get to Dupnitsa, and from there take a direct flight to the Rila Monastery, but you need to check the schedule first.
Another option is renting a car. To do this, you will need an international driver's license and a passport. In addition, the renter must have at least 3 years of driving experience. There are special requirements for clients under 21 years of age: they are often forced to pay an inflated rate.
For large groups, renting a tourist bus is a convenient option. In this case, vacationers will be able to visit several more attractions along the way.
