The Bachkovo Monastery
The second largest Bulgarian monastery, the Bachkovo Monastery, lies in the valley of the Chaia river, about 10km to the south of the town of Assenovgrad. The monastery is surrounded by the hills of the Rhodopes mountain range, home of Orpheus and of beautiful Bulgarian folklore songs. The monastery was founded in 1083 by the Byzantine military commander of Georgian origin, Grigorii Bakuriani and his brother Abasii. Yet only the two-storey bone-vault, which lies about 300m to the east of the present-day complex, is still kept from that time. The bone-vault is a must-see building there, for its unique wall-paintings, which rank among the most valuable works of Orthodox art of the 11th –12th c. The monastery is famous also for the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary., the three-handed.
A religious ceremonytakes place every year on the second day of Easter - the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary is taken out from the monastery and is brought to the Kluviata spring. The legend tells that a shepherd found it at that place. People still believe that the icon brings health and peace of mind.
Around the monastery you can find everything that grows or is being manufactured in the Rhodopi mountain being sold by the locals– rare herbs, home-made jams of wild fruit, honey, yogurt and white cheese made of sheep or buffalo's milk, woolen carpets.

The Rila Monastery
Bulgaria's biggest monastery situated at an altitude of 1127 sq. m above the sea level in the Rila Mountain Range. The monastery was founded in the 10th century by Ivan Rilski, who came to live up in the mountains in protest against the corruption in the Bulgarian church at the time. Originally, the monastery's setting was 4 km away from today's building.
The monastery is an important historical, cultural and religious place for the Bulgarians as during the Turkish rule in Bulgaria it played not only a religious role, but also was a place where the Bulgarian spirit was preserved. The oldest building is the 23 - meter tower, which dates back to 14th century.
The church features beautiful and very colourful and vivid mural paintings painted by Zahari Zograf, Bulgaria's most famous icon painter. The iconostasis is made of wallnut tree and is guilded - an amazing piece of woodcrafting, as well.
Best time to visit - autumn, when the mountain is as colourful as the frescoes inside the church and one can feel a calmness rarely to be found elsewhere.

More information to be provided soon about:
Rozhen Monastery
Troyan Monastery
Aladja Monastery
Dragalevtzi Monastery

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The Bulgarian Monasteries

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