Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Shuttle Tour

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Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Shuttle Tour

• When: Every Monday,  Friday, 09:00 – 17:00
• Departure: 09:00, in front of St. Alexander Nevski church
• Price: 35 EUR fixed price per person for shuttle group tours, 25 EUR for children; min. group size: 4 persons
• Guide: English speaking tour guide
• Admission fees (not included): 4 Euro for Rila Monastery Museum, 5 Euro for Boyana Church
• Special requirements: All year-round women need to have knees and shoulders covered when entering both Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. Warm clothes and low heel shoes.

Itinerary

This trip takes you on a tour to two UNESCO sites in one day.

Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km (73 mi) south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River ("Rila River") at an elevation of 1,147 m (3,763 ft) above sea level. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876 - 946 AD), and houses around 60 monks. Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. Ever since its creation, the Rila Monastery has been supported and respected by the Bulgarian rulers, making the monastery a cultural and spiritual center of Bulgarian national consciousness that reached its apogee from the 12th to the 14th century. The arrival of Ottomans in the end of the 14th century was followed by destruction of the monastery in the middle of the 15th century. It was rebuilt in the end of 15th century and acted as a depository of Bulgarian language and culture in the ages of foreign rule. Rila Monastery was declared a national historical monument in 1976 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated in the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was declared UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. The Boyana Church was built in three stages: in the late 10th to early 11th, the mid-13th, and the mid-19th centuries. The oldest section (the eastern church) is a small one-apse cross-vaulted church with inbuilt cruciform supports. A total of 89 scenes with 240 human images are depicted on the walls of the church. Its frescoes played an important role in the development of mediaeval Bulgarian and European painting. They are a masterpiece of the “Boyana Master” – a term which stands for the team of unknown artists who decorated the church and mastered their art in the studios of the Turnovo School of Painting. Boyana is the only and the most impressive wholly preserved monument of the Turnovo School of Painting from the 13th century.

You will have at least two (2) full hours in Rila Monastery to explore it by yourself, learn about its rich history, enjoy the beautiful senary and try the local specialties – mekitsi (Bulgarian donuts) and buffalo yogurt. Then you will be transferred back to Sofia and the Boyana Church where you will have one (1) hour to admire the architecture and the frescoes of this impressive heritage site.

Remarks & Logistics:Advance booking required. Additional services (local guides etc.) and food are not included in the price.