The monastery dates back to the 10th century. As the founder of the holly cloister is assigned the Bulgarian saint Ivan Rilski, from where its name derives. His relics are kept in solemn seclusion in the Rila Monastery.

Built in the beginning of the 19th century the main church of the monastery- Blessed Virgin is distinguished for its 1200 murals, gold -gilded iconostasis and the miraculous icon of Virgin Hodegetria. The legend reads that the icon was property of the Byzantium emperor Manuil I Comnin and nowadays the image of the Virgin is surrounded by the relics of 32 saints.

The Rila Monastery is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox monasteries, regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important historical architectural monuments with a remarkable interior displaying painted murals and woodcarvings.

• Carved into the vertical rock at the height of 23 m, Madara Horseman is the only rock relief from the early Middle Ages, and for its unique nature it is enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

  Madara Horseman

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• The old name of the city of Varna was Odessos , which literally means town on water. The lively, modern Varna was first mentioned in chronicles as a settlement during the  8 century.
  

  Varna

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• Veliko Tarnovo is situated at the foot of the Balkan Range Mountain, proudly staged on four hills. The town is known for being the capital of the country during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12 century). 

  Veliko Tarnovo & Tsarevec Hill

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• The Thracian Tomb near Kazanlak is a brilliant example of pictorial art and the best preserved Hellenistic funerary art in Bulgaria.

  Kazanlak Tomb

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• The museum town of Koprivshtitsa is declared historic and architectural reserve. Cradle of culture, education and literature Koprivshtitsa was the birthplace of a great number of leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival.

  Koprivshtica

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• The first open-air Ethnographic Museum in Bulgaria offers a glimpse into the characteristic atmosphere from the end of 18th and beginning of 19th century.

  Etara

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• The monastery dates back to the 10th century. As the founder of the holly cloister is assigned the Bulgarian saint Ivan Rilski, from where its name derives. His relics are kept in solemn seclusion in the Rila Monastery.

  Rila Monastery

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• Nessebar, one of the oldest settlements on the Balkans, is situated on a rocky Black Sea peninsula. The town was first mentioned by Herodotus in his chronicles describing the march of the Persian King Darius against the Scythians in 513 BC.

  Nessebar

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• The Royal residence in Balchik was constructed between 1926 and 1937, during the Romanian rule of the region to serve as a summer residence to Queen Mariе of Romania.

  Balchik - Botanical garden & summer residence

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• Considered a contemporary of Troy, Plovdiv is a further example of how Bulgaria acted as a melting pot on the Balkan peninsular.

  Plovdiv

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• Prevously named after the Greek god Apollo, Sozopol is one of the oldest European settlements, founded almost 3000 years ago.

  Sozopol

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