Attraction Information
Rila Monastery (Rilski Manastir)
Rila Monastery, the largest monastery in Bulgaria, is situated in the spectacular Rhodope Mountains in Rila National Park and is included on the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. Rila was the first Christian monastery to be built in Bulgaria and was founded by followers of John of Rila (the patron saint of Bulgaria) during the 10th century. Rila was damaged by fire several times over the years and was not fully restored to its current state until 1816. The monastery is ornately decorated with murals which were painted by famous artists, including Kosta Valyov and Zahari Zograph, between 1840 and 1848.
Contact Addresses
For more information on Rila Monastery, contact the National Information and Advertising Center to the Ministry of Economy (see Tourist Information above).
Transportation
Air: Sofia Airport. Road: Car: E79 south of Sofia for 100km (62 miles), then a further 21km (13 miles) to arrive at Rila Monastery.
Location
Bulgaria
Contact Addresses
Transportation
Location
Fresh ideas are just one click away...
Travel Deals
-
Finland Family holidays There is something about the snow in Finland that makes you wonder if the locals sneak out at night and spray it with a coat of brilliant white paint – it
-
Finland Activity & adventure holidays Finnish Lapland has enormous areas of untouched wilderness and mile upon mile of wild rolling fells. This vast open countryside, sparkling in the winter sunshine, just begs to be explored by
-
Orlando Adrenaline Whether you’re enjoying the hair-raising delights of the world’s only flying rollercoaster called Manta at SeaWorld or racing through the Everglades on an airboat in search of alligators, one thing’s for
-
Cambodia Luxury holidays Today Cambodia is symbolised by awesome Angkor Wat, the largest man-made religious structure in the world. However, Cambodia is also home to some of the finest boutique hotels in the world
-
Laos Inspire Me When the French colonised Indochina they had a saying: "The Vietnamese grow the rice, the Cambodians watch the rice grow, and the Lao people listen to the rice grow." This is
-
Vietnam Cultural breaks Vietnam is a country with a rich and varied history that is now firmly focused on her bright future. This is why it has become one of the hottest destinations for