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Rila Monastery

Rila, Bulgaria
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Ranked #1 of 2 attractions in Rila
Type: Historic Sites, Religious Sites
Description: Founded in the 10th century, this monastery was restored in the 15th and again in the 19th century.
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134 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Sofia, Bulgaria
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2013 NEW

Spend 2-3 hours here and admire the best series of outdoor frescoes on the walls, the museum, and do understand most old monasteries of this type did not well survive the Turkish occupation. Rila monastery is unique in having been difficult to find, extremely well guarded, and difficult for the Turks to close without igniting full rebellion many centuries early.... More

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Sofia, Bulgaria
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 12, 2013

I visited this amazing monastery with his family. A little piece of heaven tucked away in the mountains. Amazing murals, nature, quiet and relaxing place. Tourist destination a weekday is less loaded with tourists. Around the monastery there are several restaurants, but we chose to go to the restaurant, which is located below the monastery in the women's convent.The waiters... More

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Sofia, Bulgaria
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 22, 2013

The biggest and most famous of Bulgaria's monastery's. Its complex is huge and the church in the middle is covered in beautiful murals. Around the monastery are situated a lot of traditional Bulgarian restaurants which server hot and delicious food.

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Alajuela, Costa Rica
Top Contributor
97 reviews 97 reviews
54 attraction reviews
Reviews in 31 cities Reviews in 31 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 21, 2013

This is an Eastern Orthodox Monastery. There are about 40 or so monks in actual residence. You will encounter a few as you walk around the grounds. The monastery is located in the mountains and surrounded with pine trees. The church is basically a reconstruction with styles dating from the 11th C on. The church is dedicated to St. John... More

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New York
Top Contributor
425 reviews 425 reviews
123 attraction reviews
Reviews in 107 cities Reviews in 107 cities
200 helpful votes 200 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed April 15, 2013

First, you are not allowed to go into the monastery itself since the monks are living there, and this is understandable. Second, they did not allow us to go up the tower on some flimsy excuse. Third, the church is nice, but nothing extraordinary. Fourth, eating choices around there are very limited for vegetarians, almost non existent. The trip up... More

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Conwy, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
64 reviews 64 reviews
27 attraction reviews
Reviews in 37 cities Reviews in 37 cities
31 helpful votes 31 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 7, 2013

We visited the monastery just for something to do and give us a chance to see the bulgarian countryside as we were travelling from borovets. We hired a taxi driver to take the four of us on the 3 hour round trip journey. (140 lev). The sites of the villages along the way was an education. Some bleak and desolate.... More

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London, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
155 reviews 155 reviews
50 attraction reviews
Reviews in 48 cities Reviews in 48 cities
208 helpful votes 208 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 3, 2013

This is the most must see place in Bulgaria. Rila is a sacred place in Bulgaria for its history, culture and religion in a remote area about 1 hour from Sofia. We were still lucky that there were not so many people so we were able to take some photos although there was one American family stood in front of... More

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Sofia, Bulgaria
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 19, 2013

This is one of the most beautiful places in the world, so peaceful and magnificent...Especially out of the tourist season.

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Plovdiv
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 16, 2013 via mobile

The monestery is a beautiful building in the Rila mountain. During the winter when everything is covering with snow, that building stay like something special which wait to be find by you. When I was there last month this place was magic. The path to grave of St. Ivan Rilski was picturesque little journey through "white" forest. The monestery is... More

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Cleveland, Ohio
Top Contributor
187 reviews 187 reviews
58 attraction reviews
Reviews in 71 cities Reviews in 71 cities
46 helpful votes 46 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed March 9, 2013

The monastery is an impressive edifice with a long amazing history. This edifice built circa 900 AD has withstood the test of time and given its age is in surprisingly good shape. It is and has been a peaceful symbol of national identity especially during the 500 year domination of the Muslim Ottomans. It is an important symbol of the... More

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