Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

BULGARIA 615

The 14th-century Hrelyo’s Tower, in the monastery courtyard

MONASTERY COMPLEX

In contrast to the monastery’s
stern exterior, the courtyard
is light and open. An elegant
tracery of red, white and
black striped arches deftly
frame more than 300 monks’
cells, mirroring the façade
of the Church of the Nativity.
Hrelyo’s Tower, the
monastery’s oldest surviving
structure, was built by Hrelyo
Dragoval, a feudal lord, in

1334. A small chapel on
      the top floor, with 14th-cen-
      tury frescoes, is occasion ally
      open to the public. Today,
      access to this mini-fortress
      is via wooden steps but
      origin ally there was a
      removable stepladder.
      An intriguing section of
      the north wing contains the
      Monastery Farm Museum,
      which is entered via the old
      guard house, off Samokov
      Gate. Here, muskets used by
      the guards are displayed
      alongside their red and
      white uniforms, which have
      metal breastplates featuring
      a portrait of St Ivan of Rila
      and the monastery. Next
      door is a bare-walled room
      that houses the monastery’s
      water-powered mill, with a

display of hollow logs once

used as sewage pipes. A

19th-century see-saw water

pump used for fire fighting

demonstrates the precautions

taken after the fire that devas-

tated the monastery in 1833.

The enormous domed brick

oven that takes up most of

the next room is an impres-

sive sight. Like the huge pots

and cauldrons of the old

kitchen, and the giant wooden

ladles on display in the adjoin-

ing room, the oven’s great

size was essential to provide

sufficient food for the hun-

dreds of monks and pilgrims

at the monastery. The kitchen

ceiling curves into a huge

blackened chimney that tapers

elegantly through the four

floors of the north wing.

AROUND RILA

MONASTERY

The Chapel of St Ivan of Rila

and the dark cave where he

spent the last part of his life

are an hour’s walk north of

the monastery and worth a

visit just to get out into the

surrounding countryside.

Visitors can clamber through

the narrow opening of the

cave ceiling, a challenge once

presented to visiting pilgrims:

it is said that only the pure

of heart can get through.

About 7 km (4 miles)

northeast of the monastery

is Kiril Meadow, an attractive

leafy green picnic spot

with cafés and a few places

offering accommodation.

RILA MONASTERY PLAN

1 Western Entrance

(Dupnitsa Gate)

2 Church of the Nativity

3 Hrelyo’s Tower

4 Monastery Kitchen

5 Oven

6 Monastery Farm Museum

7 Eastern Entrance

(Samokov Gate)

8 Treasury Museum

9 Public Toilets

KEY

See pp612–13

Rila Monastery Complex

are the skilfully carved original
doors from Hrelyo’s Tower
and a pair of 14th-century
icons of St Ivan of Rila.