Rila Monastery

“A mountain monastery of black-and-white striped arches and colorful frescoes”

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Photo: karel291 · CC BY 3.0

Scenes

The striped church and arcaded courtyard against the mountains — The striped church and arcade of the mountain monasteryLaurens R. Krol · CC BY 4.0

Frescoes of angels and saints filling the arcade wall — Colorful frescoes filling the wallHans A. Rosbach · CC BY-SA 3.0

Meaning

In a mountain-ringed courtyard rows of black-and-white striped arches run, and along the arcade walls colorful frescoes of angels and saints unfold. Walk around the domed church, and a thousand years of prayer and painting meet on one wall.

It is regarded as Bulgaria's largest and oldest Orthodox monastery, said to take its name from the 10th-century hermit Saint Ivan of Rila. Famous for its arcades of black-and-white striped arches and its wall-filling frescoes, it is understood as a place that preserved Bulgarian language, faith, and identity even under Ottoman rule. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Field notes

Location: Rila Mountains · Bulgaria · N42.1° · E23.3°
Best time: Spring and autumn when the mountains are clear, early morning
Getting there: About 120 km south of Sofia, Bulgaria; by car to the monastery in the Rila Mountains.
Etiquette: A place of continuing monastic life; visitors keep quiet and dress modestly inside the church.

Sources

· UNESCO World Heritage
· Encyclopaedia Britannica

UNESCO World Heritage Wikipedia

Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.