The Road Less Traveled: “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign."

The Rila Monastery is a “Must see!” gem settled in the Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. Rila Monastery was established in the 10^th century by Saint Ivan Rilski. The Bulgarian people believe that Saint Ivan was a miracle worker and honored for his wisdom. As legend has it, Saint Ivan (880-946) retreated into the mountains to escape from what he saw as the decline of society. He and other monks then established the Rila Monastery. After his death, pilgrims traveled to the Monastery to view his remains for the healing powers they possessed. The hand of St Ivan is preserved on display and stays inside the Monastery as a relic.

Another interesting note is that the heart of Tsar Boris III, who was poisoned by Nazis in 1944 for saving Bulgarian Jews, is also buried in the chapel of the Monastery. The entire Monastery is just beautiful. There are murals covering all of the ceilings of the Church of the Nativity in the center of the Monastery. Services are still held every day by monks that inhabit the Monastery. Only the monks may open the box that holds the hand (and possibly the rest of Saint Ivan…not sure on that point). I had the opportunity to witness this event…Some worshippers had come to pay their respects, and the monk opened the box right in front of me. The worshippers placed items in the box like money, jewelry and some even left oil. It was really a unique experience that I would not have had if I had been with the rest of my group…I often lag behind in museums because I am interested in reading the history. The museum open in the Monastery is wonderful and has much information printed in English (YAY!) Therefore, I had not quite reached my group yet…

A little more history about Rila…It was attacked often by the Ottomans and in the 15^th century, it was destroyed by them. However, the Russian Church paid for the rebuilding. Then, in 1833, the Monastery was consumed by fire and was again rebuilt. This time, wealthy Bulgarians paid for the construction in hopes of instilling national pride while the Bulgarian people struggled for freedom from the Ottoman reign. There is so much more I want to say about this amazing place…but words do not do it justice. So you will just have to come experience it for yourself!