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Tours and Excursions
Rila Monastery
The Rila Monastery is a unique place and a must for all visitors of Sofia. It’s included in the Unesco’s Catalogue of World Heritage. It was founded in the 10th century by Ivan Rilski, who was proclaimed a saint after his death. From the outside the monastery looks like a fortress. The tour of the monastery includes the monastery courtyard where the impressive National Revival architecture will take your breath away with the perfect combination of stone, brick and wood, the numerous balconies, niches, and ornaments.
You will see the oldest building in the monastery – Hrelyo’s tower (14 century); the main church of the Holy Virgin where you can see magnificent frescoes painted by some of the most famous artists of the time. The monastery museum presents a collection of old icons, manuscripts, books, and the most valuable exhibit – Raphael’s cross (1802), an unique wood-carved masterpiece of art with 600 figures, each one not bigger than a grain of rice.
