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| Rila Monastery's Orthodox church |
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| exterior church frescoes |
The pride of Bulgaria, for good reason, is the stunning Rila Monastery, high in the mountains about 2 hours south of Sofia. It was started in the 10th century by a hermit monk who lived in a cave nearby. The Orthodox church is covered in gorgeously colored frescoes, recently cleaned, but never restored. Surrounding the church are 400 rooms where monks used to live in surprising comfort. Their rooms were quite large, with a separate kitchen area. The stove provided heat for cooking and warmth to both the kitchen and the sleeping/living room. Turkish carpets covered the hard wooden beds, walls and floor, adding color and comfort.
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| monks' rooms surrounding Rila church |
Today, only 9 monks remain, mostly old men, but the
monastery operates guest rooms in the former monks’ rooms, some even with
bathrooms. Religious Bulgarians like to
stay at the monastery for major religious holidays. 
Rila monastery church
The mountains are all beginning to show their fall foliage in beautiful color, so the setting of the monastery is quite spectacular. Its mountain home is the highest mountain in Bulgaria, rising to rocky points above the buildings. The oldest building is the fortified tower, built, as always, to keep out marauding armies, notably the Turks. When in danger, the monks climbed into the tower and pulled up the stairs. Eventually, the Turks won, but they did not destroy the monastery and, in fact, allowed it to continue to function during their 500 year rule.
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| Rila tower--oldest part of monastery |
Bulgarians are equally as proud of the tiny, magnificent
Boyana Church, on the outskirts of Sofia.
It is now a museum, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first section of the church, very small,
was built in the 10th or 11th century, and covered with
murals and icons in tempura paints. In
the 13th century, a second section was built and the original paintings
were mostly covered over, though a few remain.
These were also done in tempura and are quite remarkable. Most figures from the pre-Renaissance era are
flat and very similar in facial structure.
These figures have depth. Each
face is different, showing cheekbones, vivid eyes, wrinkles and strong features. Their garments are gorgeous, with intricate
detail of lace and embroidery. No photos
allowed, unfortunately. You’ll have to
visit.
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| Boyana redwood |
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| oldest part of Boyana Church |
The last Bulgarian queen received several Giant Sequoias from California, as a gift, and planted them in the garden around the Boyana Church. They are now 115 years old and huge.
Sofia, itself, is mostly a modern city. The many large apartment blocks and concrete
buildings from Communist days are pretty dominant, but there are some newer and
much more imaginative buildings filling the skyline. After Bulgaria was liberated from the Turks
in 1877, there was an effort to turn Sofia from a Turkish city into a European
city. So, the downtown area has some
lovely baroque buildings as well. Our
guide told us that the Communist era apartment buildings have some very nice
apartments now that local families have renovated them, but that the poor construction
quality of the buildings themselves causes problems for the residents with
heat, air conditioning, water and elevators.
He told us that families much prefer to own their homes and apartments
and that renting is not common except among students here for only a couple of
years.
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| Sofia's cathedral, largest in Bulgaria |
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