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Top 8 Facts about Rila Monastery

This monastery was founded in the 10th century and is regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments.

It is located in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River. The monastery is within the Monastery Nature Park.

The monastery is named after its founder, hermit Ivan of Rila. It is home to more than 60 monks. It was founded in the 10^th century after Ivan of Rila was canonized by the Orthodox church.  

His tomb is now a sacred site at the monastery. It was transformed into a monastic complex with important spiritual and social relevance to the life of medieval Bulgaria.

The architecture of the monastery is a true representation of the Bulgarian Renaissance period. It also symbolizes the Slavic cultural identity.

There are more interesting facts about this monastery. Here are the top 10.

1. The Monastery was founded by St. Ivan of Rila, the first Hermit of Bulgaria

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This monastery was founded by the hermit St. Ivan of Rila, after whom it is named. It was constructed during the reign of Tsar Peter I.

Ivan lived in a cave near the current location of the monastery. He did not have much wealth and was assisted by the students he taught to construct the monastery.

This monastery has played a significant role in the Bulgarian culture. Every Tsar that has ruled the country, provided financial assistance to the monastery.  

The support ceased after the Ottoman conquest. Despite this, the site was still considered to be a spiritual and cultural centre of Bulgarian national consciousness between the 12th to the 14th century.

2. Aleski Rilets, the first Bulgarian architect designed the Monastery

The architect responsible for the design of this majestic monastery is Aleski Rilets. His architectural design included the famous monastery kitchen.

Both the eastern and the western wing are portrayed by 3 plaques above the mill’s doors, the Dupnitsa and the Samokov entrances.

The plaques at the monastery include the names of Teodosii and Father Superior Yosif.

Part of the monastery that was built using wood, got destroyed by fire in 1833 and was reconstructed. More than 3000 architects took part in the reconstruction which was done in a record 10 days.

The architectural designs have been preserved as historical monuments. This architectural style is now one of the topmost examples of building artistry of the Balkan peoples from the 19th century.

3. The Ottomans raided and destroyed the Monastery in the 14^th century

By Daniel Petrov – Wikimedia

This beautiful monastery was destroyed after the arrival of the Ottomans at the end of the 14th century. They raided and destroyed the monastery till the 15^th century.

The reconstruction was funded by Sultana Mara Brankovic from the Russian Orthodox church.  Three brothers from the Rossikon monastery of Mount Athos also helped in the reconstruction.

Sultana Mara supervised the relocation of the Rila relics, architecture designs, and frescoes from Tarnovo into the new complex in 1469.

All these represented a masterpiece of the creative genius of the Bulgarian people.

Unfortunately, in 1833, the monastery was destroyed by fire and reconstructed between 1834 and 1862.

4. The main church at the Monastery was constructed by Pavel Loanov

By Raggatt2000 – Wikimedia

The main church of the monastery was built in the middle of the 19th century. Architect Pavel Loanov worked on it from 1834 to 1837.

It has five domes, three altars and two side chapels.  One of the most precious items inside the church is the gold-plated iconostasis.

This famous wood-carving took five years and was worked on by four handicraftsmen. The four men were Atanas Teladur, Petar and Georgi Dashini and Dimitar Stanishev.

The frescoes in the church were done by Bansko, Samokov and Razlog, as well as the famous brothers Zahari Zograf and Dimitar Zograf. They finished the fresco in 1846.

5. There is a Museum within the Monastery

Within the monastery complex is the museum of Rila Monastery. It is especially famous for housing Rafail’s Cross. This cross was made from a whole piece of wood.

The cross was carved by a monk named Rafail. He used fine chisels and magnifying lenses to carve 104 religious scenes and 650 tiny figures.

It took Rafail atleast12 years to fully complete the in 1802, by this time, he has lost his sight.

Other artefacts in the museum include revival-era icons and papyrus scrolls of the financial history influential monastery.

There are also lavish silk and gold gifts sent from Russia to Ivan Rila.

6. It has preserved the Bulgarian culture and art for ages

By Nenko Lazarov – Wikimedia

This monastery has been a depository of Bulgarian language and culture since the 10^th century. After it got destroyed by fire, it was renovated with the help of wealthy Bulgarians.

The reconstruction was led by architect Alexi Rilets. They built residential buildings in 1816. The belfry was added later in 1844.

This monastery was used a hideout for Bulgarian revolutionaries such as Vassil Levski, Gotse Delchev, Peyo Yavorov. During this time, Neofit Rilski was running a school in the monastery.

It was declared a historical monument in 1976 and a UNESCO Heritage site in 1983.

The monastery has been entirely subordinated to the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church since 1991.

7. The library at the Rila Monastery has one of the largest collections of ancient manuscripts

The monastery has its own library which has more than 250 manuscripts from the 11th to 19th centuries. It also has 9000 old-printed books and manuscripts.

This library was built soon after the monastery was occupied by monks. Unfortunately, most of the manuscripts from this period were destroyed by fire and by the Ottomans.

Some of the manuscripts that were salvaged include works written by Ivan’s students. They show their extensive knowledge of the Old and New Testament.

The library also has documents that tell the different biblical events and evangelistic personalities.

8. There are about 300 residential apartments at the Rila Monastery

The residential complex in the monastery is four-storeyed. It has   300 rooms, four chapels, an abbot’s room, cells, a kitchen, a library, and a donor’s room. The kitchen has some of the largest cooking tools.

The external complex has high walls of stone and little windows that resembles a fortress.