Rila Monastery

Last weekend we ended our orientation with a trip to the Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila. An hour bus ride led us to a building nestled in the frigid Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia. This monastery looks nothing like I had imagined. With intricate architecture and loud colors, I could tell the monastery rendered a mixture of cultures that channels Balkan culture.


Founded in the beginning of the 10th century and still standing as the largest Eastern Orthodox Monastery in Bulgaria, Rila Monastery is eye-catching with its massive domes, striped patterns, and detailed frescos. 

Ivan of Rila, also known as Saint John of Rila, was the first Bulgarian hermit. He left his life as a monk to live in solitude in the caves of the Rila Mountains and devote his life to prayer. Students began to follow him and thus began the genesis of the monastery. After the Saint's death in 946 AD, his students built the monastery near the cave in which he lived. His relics were moved several times through the years, but now they are held in the church of the monastery where citizens come to pay their respects daily. 

When Bulgaria fell under Ottoman rule at the end of the 14th century, the Monastery was vulnerable to attacks by the Turks and was eventually destroyed by a fire. Thanks to efforts from Bulgarians across the country, the revival of the Monastery began toward the end of the 15th century and now stands since the 19th century as the spiritual, cultural, and educational epicenter of Bulgaria.

More Facts

Nearly every square inch of the walls of the Monestary, both interior and exterior, are covered in elaborate frescos depicting religious scenes.

The heart of King Boris III (1894-1943) was buried in a grave inside the Monastery in 1994. He is the only King to be buried in the Monastery due in part to his refusal to Adolf Hitler when the dictator demanded the expulsion of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews.

Each day there are hundred of candles lit by worshippers inside the Monastery, illuminating the striking images and fixtures inside.

Julia Dick


References

“Boris III.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Feb. 2007, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Boris-III.

“Rila Monastery – a Symbol of Bulgarian History.” Aparthotel Lucky Bansko SPA & Relax, Lucky Bankso, https://luckybansko.com/rila-monastery-a-symbol-of-bulgarian-history-p44553/.

“Rila Monastery.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Apr. 2005, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rila-Monastery.

“Rila Monastery.” UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/216/.

“St. Ivan of Rila.” RilaMonastery.info, https://www.rilamonastery.info/about-1/st-ivan-of-rila/.

Location: Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 1

Image
The first week, orientation week. The week of getting over jet lag. The week of meeting new people. The week of learning to navigate the city. So much has happened in the past few days. Filled with exploring, eating, night life, and lots of laughing, this was a great first week. Only exchange students and some of the freshmen class were on campus this week at the American University in Bulgaria. There are over 35 exchange students from at least 16 different countries. Besides that, the University student body is made up of about 40% international students. There is an impressive mix of cultures here. Everyone speaks English to each other, even when it's not their first language. I realize it is the "American" University, but everyone really makes a point to speak English. A Bulgarian student even apologized to me for his "slow" English as if I didn't just waltz into his home country not knowing an ounce of Bulgarian. I knew more people across the world were
Read more

Week 2

Image
This week... It was the first week of classes. All classes at AUBG meet only twice per week instead of three times per week, and there are no classes that start before 9 a.m. which is very nice. Three of my five courses are strictly online while one is hybrid and one is in person. Some of my professors aren't even in Bulgaria. There are professors teaching us from Lebanon, Russia, Ireland, and elsewhere across the world. I Learned... I am taking only one course relevant to my major because I wanted to use this semester to explore topics outside of computer science and mathematics. Besides Computer Architecture, I am taking Communication Media and Society, Civilizations at the Crossroads: The Bulgarian Case, Bulgarian Language and Culture, and Management in a Global Environment.  This is the first time I've been eager to take a history course. On the first day of The Bulgarian Case, the professor asked us why we were taking the course. I responded that I had only ever been taugh
Read more

Week 3 - Sofia

Image
This week... It is cold here in Bulgaria. While in the past week it has gotten up to about 10°C, it has more often been about -4°C. I'm trying to use Celsius now because when we're trying to talk weather, I can't figure it out. It has snowed a couple of days this week, but today alone we got at least four inches (I haven't crossed the metric system bridge yet, people. One thing at a time). I have yet to get acclimated to how dry it is here. My hands are so dry and cracked to the point where they bleed, which has never happened to me living in the humid state of Arkansas. It's definitely going to take some time to adjust to the weather here. I Learned... This weekend we took a trip to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was about an hour and half by bus, a sweltering bus. Seriously, we all thought we were going to succumb to heat stroke. On arrival, we took the metro to our Airbnb. There were ample inexpensive choices for stays, but we decided on a nice flat on the no
Read more