It's a couple of hours drive south of Sofia on the road to Greece to get up into the Rila Mountains to visit the Rila Monastery, but it is well worth it. I went on a formal day tour but we were given 2.5 hours at the Monastery after having had a quick 30 minute introduction to the site by the guide.
Its the largest and most well known Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria and was founded by St Ivan of Rila during the 900's. The current buildings date from the 19th century and the church houses not only the relics of St Ivan of Rila, but is also the last resting place of Bulgaria's last king, Boris III. Whilst Builgaria aligned itself with Germany in WW2, Boris was not cooperative with many of the demands from Germany, including the deportation of Bulgaria Jews. Boris died after visit to Germany in 1943 and it is widely believed he was posioned whilst there.
The monastary buildings cover a large site up in the mountains, unfortunately low cloud and rain meant that I did not get the big green mountain backdrops to my pictures, but here is a selection.
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