Winter in Bulgaria
Rila Monastery
December 2005
Text and Photos by Melissa Enderle
 Introduction |
Sofia |
Rila Monastery |
Plovdiv |
Veliko Turnovo |
|
| Rila Monastery | ||||||
| The next morning we took a taxi (4 lv) to the bus station. There we paid 6 lv ($3.50) for the bus to the town of Rila, located 117 km to the south of Sofia. We were eager to visit the UNESCO world heritage site. The bus windows were so dirty, I knew that trying to take photos of the beautiful snow-covered landscape was pointless. I hoped that the monastery would have good views. Upon arriving in the town of Rila, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the local bus that was going up to the monastery in a few minutes. Olja (my traveling partner) inquired about the bus times to Sofia. The bus driver told us that he would be going to Sofia in 1½ hours – the only bus back to the capital. Although I would have preferred spending more time at the monastery, I knew that we would have to go by the bus schedule. | ||||||
"Birth of the Virgin Mary" Church The stone arched entrance to the monastery had paintings above it – a signal of things to come. Straight ahead was the main cloister church. The arches of the walkway around the front and one side were painted in black and white stripes – reminiscent of the Moorish influence I saw on some mosques in Tunisia. Every inch of the walkway’s arched ceiling and front wall of the church was covered in brilliantly-colored decorative murals. |
 |
|||||
 "Birth of the Virgin Mary" Church, built in 1837 |
The inside was just as splendid, with five large domes, three altar niches and two side chapels. The acoustically perfect interior was decorated by craftsmen from all over the country, embellishing the church with marble sculptures, wood carvings, and iconography. Many of the murals (completed in 1846) were painted by the Samokov and Bansko artistic schools. In addition to the saints, church donors were also included in the beautiful paintings.
|
|||||
| The church also includes a number of valuable icons painted in the 14th-19th centuries. I was looking for the famous Cross of Rafail, which I had read about. The cross, made from a whole piece of wood (81 cm x 43 cm) was created by a monk using fine, sharp chisels. Thankfully, I later found the cross in the adjoining museum. According to some researchers, the double-sided cross contains 200 tiny figures, while others put that number at 600. It was quite incredible to see the scenes from the Bible depicted and unique, expressive figures depicted in this wooden marvel that took 12 years to complete. Such a labor of love! | ||||||
Residential Cloister Knowing that our time was limited, I went through the rest of the museum a bit faster than I would have liked, but taking the time to marvel at the beautiful religious treasures there. I then took a short walk around the residential part of the cloister, a closed irregular quadrangle, started in 1816. Four floors high, it consists of no less than 300 monks’ cells, 4 chapels, an abbot’s room, a kitchen, a library, and guestroom for donors. The white structure with its red and black trimming surrounded the church with a sense of security and peace. Behind it were the large pine trees and distant snow-covered mountain peaks, partly obscured by light flurries. |
 Residential Cloister |
|||||
Next to the church was an impressive stone defense tower, the only remaining structure from the complex built in 1334. Unfortunately the 6-storey building was closed, so I had to enjoy it from the outside. The door to the tower is 5 m above the ground and there used to be a mobile ladder that was withdrawn in an attack. On one side of the stone structure was a wooden clock and bell tower, with the mechanical workings of the clock revealed through glass. Like the rest of the monastery, it was richly decorated with painted designs. At the bottom level was a souvenir stand, selling iconographic items and Bulgarian crafts.
|
|
|||||
| Knowing that we had to be on time for the only bus to Sofia, we made sure we were in front of the bus several minutes before its prompt departure. Many others got on the bus as well. The young bus driver greeted people as they got on the bus, freely conversing with kids and the elderly alike. In the front interior of his old, slightly dilapidated bus hung several stuffed animals including Big Bird and Eeyore. Also visible were some wallet-sized cards of saints, something I’ve seen in many buses and taxis in both Serbia and Tunisia. | ||||||
 Rila motel |
 Hrelyo Defense Tower and church |
|||||
