Rila · Bulgaria

Rila Monastery

monasteryarchitecturehistorynaturegoogle verified

easy

10/10

best: morning

spiritual, majestic, historic

A local would say...

Twelve hundred murals cover every wall of this church — and one of them hides the buried heart of a tsar.

Bulgaria's most celebrated monastery nestled deep in the Rila Mountains, founded in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 19th century with 300 monks' cells filling four levels of vivid painted balconies around a vast courtyard. The Nativity Church contains 1,200 magnificent murals covering every surface inside and out, including the tomb of Tsar Boris III. The 23m medieval Hrelyu Tower rising from the courtyard is the only surviving structure from the 14th century.