C onte nts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Before the Journey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

What does the homeland begin with? . . . . . . . . . 11

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Staring at the bank of Kozloduy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

St Ivan of Rila. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Along Suleiman the Magnificents s bridg. . . . . . 53

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Quiet nest of court passions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

The Bulgarian corner of Mount Athos. . . . . . . . . . 71

- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Todor Zhivkovs Pravets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Reasoning Resovo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

, ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Oops, Shipka! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Rupite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

The Belogradchik paradox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

E la nave va , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

E la nave va in Gumoshtnik, near Troyan. . . . . . 143

Una selva oscura. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Una selva oscura. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Kalofer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Yaylatas lost world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Before the Journey

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1944-1989 .
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1876 . ,
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1877-1878 ., .

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,


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he book you are holding is entitled Hidden Treasures

of Bulgaria because it comprises 15 natural, cultural
and historical landmarks which, for some reason, have remained away from the beaten tracks of popular interest or
have merits of which the general tourist, whether Bulgarian
or foreign, is largely unaware.
Some of them have been a victim to political circumstances. Under the Communist regime of 1944-1989, practically
the entire Strandzha Mountain was part of the border zone
with Turkey. The local population could only enter or leave
with a special permit and the tourists well, there simply
werent any. The ancient sanctuary in the Mishkova Niva
area, the Vulchanov Bridge over the Rezovska river and the
river mouth itself remained isolated, inaccessible and unknown.

Others were hidden for ideological reasons. Every Bulgarian

knows that the poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev took
over the Austrian steamer Radetzky in 1876 leading his
band in aid of the April Uprising against the Ottoman Empire
and this is all. Here you will learn a bit more about both
the ship and Kozloduy, the place on the Danube where the
rebels disembarked. The monument in the Shipka Pass,
built high up in the Balkan mountains in honour of the defendants who changed the course of the Russo-Turkish
War of 1877-78 which gave Bulgaria its independence from
the Ottoman Empire, has been the victim of blind patriotism. Belogradchik is famous for its rock phenomena and
the Roman fortress, but the town also has a mosque, with
splendid frescos, that is falling apart through neglect.
Pravets, the birthplace of Communist dictator Todor
Zhivkov is another matter. The village, which was turned
by its illustrious son into a town and the Bulgarian
equivalent of the Silicon Valley in the 1980s, has still
not relinquished its status as a symbol of victorious
Socialism and has meticulously preserved the memory of
Zhivkov and Communism by turning itself into an open-air
museum.

 .
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,
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Kalofer is at the other end of the rainbow. The Revival

Period architecture of this enterprising town, which
gave birth to truly renowned Bulgarians, like Hristo
Botev, was destroyed during Communism. But even
devoid of its architecture, the town has preserved its
people: always ready to revolt and draw a knife on
anybody who dares to tell them what to do.

, , . ,

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You dont have to believe in the talents of clairvoyant

Vanga, who lived in the area of Rupite, to feel the magic
of this place. Nor to flock to the tourist trap of Melnik
when the Rozhen Monastery stands nearby, offering
visitors a cheerful combination of Orthodoxy and a pagan taste for life. The Ottoman bridge over the Maritsa
by Svilengrad is probably the towns only landmark, but
it is the longest Turkish bridge in Bulgaria and is well
worth your time.

.
,
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Two of our treasures lie on the northern Black Sea

coast. The wild rock terrace of Yaylata, a favourite haunt
of hippies and other fans of unrestricted living, offers
a sharp contrast to the eclectic palace of Romanian
Queen Marie in Balchik, which contains the symbols of
many world religions.

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You may ask what is hidden about the Rila Monastery,

one of the most visited spots in Bulgaria. However, the
different viewpoint we have adopted should clear any
doubts you may have about double standards.

- . 1912 .
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My greatest personal discovery was the village of

Gumoshtnik in the Balkan mountains. It lost eight of
its inhabitants in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The
simple obelisk in the local churchyard raised by the relatives of those men has an emotional charge that many
larger monuments can only envy.

,
. .

And now it is time you took to the road by car, train

or on foot, and went in search of the hidden treasures
of Bulgaria. With this book in hand, you will easily
find them.

Dimana Trankova

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What does the homeland begin with?*

Vulchanov Bridge over the Rezovska River, not far from the
town of Malko Tarnovo, is not on any map. It has literally
been split down the middle because that is where the border
between Bulgaria and Turkey lies
*A Soviet song


Vulchanov Bridge

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(1773-1873)
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racious with women, benevolent to his own folk

and terrifying to his foes, Vulchan Stoyanov Kehayov
(17731873) was Strandzhas local version of Robin Hood.
His contemporaries called him a haydutin, an outlaw who
robbed the rich but did not harass the common people. His
was not a job for a lone wolf, so Vulchan presided over a
troop of 70 big, dark, moustachioed men. Folklore has it
that the haydutis main occupation was to eat roast lamb,
pour red wine down their throats and jump over bonfires.
They spent the rest of their time, led by Vulchan Voyvoda,
or Vulchan the Chieftain, holding up Istanbul-bound Turkish
tax collection transports through the Strandzha. Legend
has it that the sultans administration redirected the traffic
across the Black Sea. However, Vulchan Voyvoda hired a
boat and robbed the taxman again.

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After years of what in his view was honest and hard

work, the hayduti became rich men. According to folklore,
Vulchan Voyvoda accumulated nine loads of gold pieces
which he buried somewhere in the Strandzha Mountain
together with the mules that carried them. Today, many
treasure hunters continue to search for the bounty.

,

. 1888 .

,
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. 1800 .
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12

The Strandzha people love their Robin Hood and justify

his banditry with an incredible story that claims he gave
some of the looted money to Hristo and Evlogi Georgiev.
With it, the two brothers sponsored the establishment of
Bulgarias first university in 1888, the then Higher School,
which is now St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia.
The legend also outlines how Vulchanov Bridge was built
across the Rezovska River. In 1800, Turkish troops surrounded Vulchan and his men near the river.

.

A picture of one of Vulchans grandsons.
The descendants of the legendary haydut
venerate the memory of their grandfather

 , ,
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The haydutin vowed to build a bridge if they managed to

escape. The troop was saved thanks to an ingenious idea.
Vulchan cut some reeds and instructed his men to use the
hollow stalks as snorkels. During the night his band got away
by swimming underwater.

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Vulchan Voyvoda was a man of his word. He commissioned

Raycho, a master builder from Malko Turnovo, for 2,500 silver pieces to begin the construction of a bridge 15m long,
2m wide and 6m tall, or 49x6.5x20 ft. The Turkish regional
governor Kr Vizier Pasha quickly gave his blessing, because
his country would get both a free bridge and a chance to
capture Vulchan. However, the plan failed. Vulchan worked
on the scaffolding disguised as a mason and the pashas
scouts never recognised him. According to the legend, it was
then that the chieftain stored part of the looted money into
the bridge.

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When the bridge was finished, and once again in disguise,

Vulchan organised a party and invited the pasha along. When
the dinner was over, the haydutin revealed his identity. He
jumped across the river, stuck his tongue out at the pasha,
and informed him that the 40,000 silver pieces which the
bridge had cost to build had come from the Turkish treasury.
Vulchanov Bridge started functioning as a major transport
link along the road between Malko Turnovo in the Strandzha
and Kik Samokov in Turkey. Its robust construction stood
standing until the Second World War, when, at some point,
half of the bridge was destroyed, reducing it to what we can
still see today.
One of the local theories about the event vilifies the Germans.
They mined the bridge so that no Allies would use it to penetrate Bulgaria. On a stormy night, a thunderbolt struck the
bridge and conveniently destroyed just the Bulgarian half.

- , 1947 .
,
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A more plausible theory relates the bridges awkward demolition to Communism. Afraid that the bridge could be
used by Western tanks to invade Bulgaria from Turkey, the
Communist government had it blown up in 1947.

.

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Today the Vulchanov Bridge is endangered by treasure

hunters. A few years ago, somebody took out a stone of its
base, which is technically in Turkish territory. For some days
they looked for Vulchan Voyvodas gold, but finally gave up
and went away. Fortunately, they did put the stones back
into place.

Treasure hunters are still looking for the legendary brigands stash in the base of the bridge

14


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.

Today this remarkable monument of Ottoman architecture

and the hayduts sense of humour is hidden behind the
wire fence girding the Bulgarian-Turkish border. You can
only reach it on a special Border Police permission and in a
strong four-wheel drive vehicle.

,
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But only hopeless romantics can expect to follow

Strandzhas Robin Hoods steps and have an easy life in
the process. To make your trip to the bridge more amusing,
it is recommended that you hum the Soviet song S chevo
nachinaetsya rodina. In the case of Vulchanov Bridge, the
association is quite literal.

- , 76 .

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How to get there

The nearest town is Malko Turnovo, 76 km, or 47 miles, from
Burgas. The only way to get there is by car or bus. If coming from Burgas, you can follow the Poda junction-MarinkaKrushevets-Zvezdets or the Tsarevo-Bulgari-Gramatikovo
routes. If coming from Harmanli, you have to drive via the
Topolovgrad-Elhovo-Bolyarovo-Varovik-Bosna-Zvezdets road.

, . (05952) 28 14
, . (05952) 25 75
, . (05952) 25 71

Where to stay
Hipokrat Holiday Centre, phone (05952) 28 14
Nadka Vulkova Guest House, phone (05952) 25 75
Penka Yancheva Guest House, phone (05952) 25 71

Bulgaria is on the right bank

16

17


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Staring at the bank of Kozloduy

The Radetzky is shabby, small and not even an original. But
for the Bulgarians she is more important than the Mayflower
for the Americans


Kozloduy

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ts nuclear power station, built in Soviet times with Soviet

technology, aside, Kozloduy is a sleepy provincial town
that the more environmentally-minded would eschew. Its
flats in prefab estates outnumber the traditional Bulgarian
houses with patches of green, and the casual visitor would
hardly find anything of interest to hold their attention for
more than half a day. This is a feeling described by the
British journalist and writer James Pettifer in his Bulgarian
guidebook in very unambiguous terms: Avoid! Since
they are not tourists, however, the majority of the local
people like the nuclear power station, which has been
slated for decommissioning, because it creates jobs and
provides a relatively good standard of living.
But Kozloduy has another treasure which Pettifer did not
note. This is the replica of an old Austro-Hungarian steamer which once sailed the Danube as far as Vienna. She is
now sadly moored near Kozloduy as a museum and monument to the most romantic part of Bulgarian history.
The significance of this ship to the Bulgarians cannot be
understood without knowing the historical context.
On 17 May 1876 Hristo Botev and his cheta, or armed
band, of Bulgarian rebels, all emigrants in Romania, took
over the Radetzky. The steamer was on a scheduled voyage along the Danube. Botev forced Captain Dagobert
Englender to divert her to the Bulgarian shore, part of the
Ottoman Empire at the time, not far from the village of
Kozloduy. On board the ship, Hristo Botev wrote a heartfelt letter, which used to be set reading for Bulgarian students in their history classes.

Lyudmila Damyanova is the director of the local museum of history

21



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1878 .
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Depending on the standpoint, Hristo Botevs actions

can be interpreted either as the ultimate sacrifice in
the name of the fatherland enslaved by Turkey, or the
illegal capture of a passenger ship with the aim of accomplishing separatist military acts against a sovereign
state. Although the actual military effect of what Botev
started was negligible, his deeds focused the attention
of the West and of Russia on the Bulgarian Question
within the Ottoman Empire. Only a couple of years
later, as a result of a war between Russia and Turkey,
on 3 March 1878 Bulgaria regained its independence
for the third time after its foundation in 681. In Bulgarian
history Hristo Botev has remained as one of the most
romantic Revival Period figures of a poet and revolutionary. The New Station, as Botev referred to the
bank of Kozloduy, has turned into a place of worship
and national celebrations which mark each anniversary
of Radetzkys landing.

?
1851 .
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1876 . ,
1918 . , 1924 . .

However, what has happened to the real ship? Built

in 1851 in the Obuda Shipbuilding Yard in Budapest,
the Radetzky was at Botevs time the property of The
First Privileged Imperial and Royal Danubian Shipping
Company in Vienna. After the events of 1876 she went
on sailing the waters of the Danube, but in 1918 was
condemned, and in 1924 demolished for scrap.

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1966 .
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22

The legend surrounding the ship, which for the Bulgarian

has acquired the symbolism of the Mayflower, continued, and in the 1960s 1.2 million Bulgarian children,
encouraged by youth organisations with now half-forgotten names like Septemvriyche and Komsomol, collected scrap to the value of 523,000 leva, which they
donated for the building of a new Radetzky, a replica of
the old steamer.
In 1966, the Shipbuilding Yard in Ruse launched the newold Radetzky. In 1995, the State Shipping Inspectorate
renewed her faring fitness certificate. The Radetzky
could carry up to 100 passengers in the Bulgarian part
of the Danube, and the Ministry of Culture took up the
cost of her maintenance. Predictably, a small museum
dedicated to Hristo Botev was set up on the ship. The
Radetzky is an almost exact replica of its prototype, but
with some improvements, such as the diesel engine
and the side paddle wheels.

The bank of Kozloduy in 1901

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. 2005 .
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The post-Communist difficulties which Bulgaria has been

experiencing have had an adverse effect on the Radetzky.
The museum exhibits were stolen, most of the crew made
redundant, the ship was suspended and moored to the
small quay at Kozloduy. Following a reconstruction effort
in Ruse, the ship was launched again. The romanticallyminded can even spend the night in its cabins at a very
reasonable cost.

23

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1867.
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24

Mr Captain!
Messrs Passengers!
I have the honour to inform you that on this ship there are Bulgarian
rebels who are under my command.
At the expense of our livestock and our agricultural tools, at the
expense of great efforts, sacrificing our welfare and in the end at
the expense of everything that is dearest in this world (without
the acknowledgement and despite the persecution by the authorities of the country whose neutrality we have respected), we have
equipped ourselves with what we needed to come to help our
revolutionary brothers, who are fighting so bravely under the colours of the Bulgarian lion for the freedom and independence of our
beloved fatherland, Bulgaria.
We ask you, Messrs Passengers, not to worry at all and remain
calm. As for you, Mr Captain, I have the unpleasant duty to invite
you to leave the ship at my disposal until the time we disembark,
and at the same time I declare that even the smallest resistance on
your side will lead to the rueful necessity to use force and, despite
my will, take revenge for the despicable event on the Germany
steamer in Ruschuk, in 1867.
In either case, our cry of combat is the following:

Long live Bulgaria!

Long live Franz Josef!
Long live Count Andrassy!
Long live Christian Europe!
Hr. B o t y o v

25

26

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1766 . , ,
1858, -.



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1966
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(1848-1876) , 28-
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200 .
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Field Marshall Johann Josef Anton Wenzel

Karl Graf Radetzky von Radetz was born in
Trebenice, now in the Czech Republic, in 1766, and
died in Milan in 1858. He was an important military
reformer in Austro-Hungary. Radetzky was considered one of the major strategists in the Napoleonic
Wars and successfully crushed an Italian nationalist
rebellion in the Austro-Hungarian dominated kingdom
of Lombardy-Venice. Josef Strauss Senior composed
the famous Radetzkymarsch in his honour.
On the occasion of the building of the ship in 1966 the
sterreich wrote: ...The
Austrian newspaper Neues O
legendary general could not possibly have imagined
Bulgarian Communist pioneri making his bust. This,
however, is a fact and since Sunday the outcome has
been moored to the Reichsbrucke to our wonder.

Hristo Botev (1848-1876) was a poet and professional

revolutionary, who died at the age of 28, three days
after the boarding of the Radetzky. Born in Kalofer,
Hristo Botev spent most of his adult life as an migr
in Romania, where he was consecutively a teacher, a
journalist and an editor. Botevs military skills were at
least questionable, and his cheta of 200 volunteers was
easily defeated by the Turkish regulars. Botev holds an
emblematic significance for the national struggle for an
independent Bulgarian state in the late 19th Century.
What has ensured Botevs place of honour in Bulgarian
modern history is his poetry. Although he wrote only a
few dozen poems, his lyrical talent and delicate sensitivity
are highly valued not only in his native Bulgaria, but, due
to numerous translations, abroad as well.

27

Whats in a song?

...

The quiet white Danube...

In Germany children go to sleep to the sound of a

Bulgarian military march. Its original is politically
incorrect in Russia

1876 . ,
, .
100 -,
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, I .
.

28

risto Botev and his followers military campaign in

1876 was immortalised by Ivan Vazov, the patriarch
of Bulgarian literature, in the Quiet White Danube poem.
If this had happened 100 years later, Hollywood, or the
Boyana Film Studios respectively, would have made a
movie, but at the end of the 19th Century our ancestors
were content to fit the text to a tune.

,
e . -
, .
;
;
, ; . .,
. . Auld
Lang Syne God Bless America . .

The outcome was emotionally contagious and right away

became what present-day show business would refer
to as an instant hit. To this very day, the Quiet White
Danube is immediately recognisable to all Bulgarians, irrespective of their age, education or place of residence.
Bulgarian pupils study it in primary school; soldiers sing it
as a warm-up in the barracks; the Quiet White Danube is
an official Bulgarian Army march played by brass bands
at parades and festivities; this is the song of the fans of
the Levski football club, and so on and so forth. The Quiet
White Danube is to the Bulgarians what Auld Lang Syne
is to Englishmen, and God Bless America to Americans.
The Quiet White Danube is the Bulgarian Marseillaise.

( , 22!),
, ,
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Although most Bulgarians know the first few lines by

heart (the majority get stuck at the second stanza and do
not even suspect that the whole thing has 22), nobody
could imagine that the tune of this military-sounding anthem, which has stirred up the patriotic spirit of generations of Bulgarians, is in fact a... lullaby, which at least
Germans and Russians sing to their children every night.

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According to one theory, liberal borrowing of foreign

examples, music included, used to be one of the ways
of cultural accession to Europe. Until the liberation from
Turkish domination, Bulgarian folk songs were mainly of
the horo type. Then the town song came into fashion,
but its aesthetics had little in common with local folk
traditions. The only way to make the melody of the socalled hero songs rhythmically effective was through unashamed borrowing.

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The Quiet White Danube is not the only example of such

an adoption. The tune of the military march The Winds
Roaring, the Balkans Moaning was based on a church
chant, and The Battle Terrible Has Stopped, the Heroes
Blood Is Flowing is known in Russia as a folk song: In the
Field a Birch Tree Stood.

.
: .

Quite fairly, Bulgarians may ask whether it is really appropriate for Russians and Germans to put their babies
to sleep to the sound of army marches. But the opposite is true as well: Germans and Russians may wonder
whether it is really appropriate for the Bulgarian army to
go into battle with a lullaby.

29

Bajuschki Baju
Schlaf mein Kindlein,
Halt ein Schlfchen,
Bajuschki baju;
Silbermond und Wolkenschfchen
Sehn von oben zu.

In Germany Quiet White Danube,

known as Bajuschki Baju,
is a traditional lullaby

(1814-1841)

Sleep, my baby, sleep,

Sandmans on his way,
Nana nana na,
The silver moon and fleecy cloud
Are watching from above.

(1840)
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Bajuschki baju,

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(1840)
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-.

(1850-1921)

,


...

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Quiet White Danube

Lyrics by Ivan Vazov
(1850-1921)

Quiet white Danubes waving,

Boisterous and bold,
The Radetzkys proudly sailing
On its waves of gold.

30

-

, 1840

,
I .

Blue, the stands are waving,

Boisterous and bold,
Levski are beating the Chorba,
Now as before.

In Russia and Ukraine Quiet White

Danube is sung as a lullaby to lyrics
by Mikhail Lermontov (1814-1841)

We particularly like the second stanza of

Lermontovs poem, which in 1840 was
hardly as politically incorrect as it is at
the beginning of the 21st Century.

A Cossack lullaby

Down the gorge the Tereks flowing,

Sleep, my child, my love,

Nana nana na,
Silently the moon above
Is peeping in your pram.
Ill tell you a story and
Sing you a chant,
You sleep with your eyes closed,

Swashing turbid waves,

Nana nana na.

Nana nana na.

An evil Chechens there crawling,

Dagger in his hand.
But your Dads a tempered soldier,
Battle-tried and bold,
So sleep calm, my little one,

31


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How to get there

The railway station nearest to Kozloduy is in Oryahovo.
Therefore, it is recommended that you travel by car
on the Sofia-Botevgrad-Vratsa-Miziya-Kozloduy route.
Alternatively, you can take a bus from Sofia or Pleven.

- , ***
, 3 ,
. (0973) 82 892
, . (0973) 8 02 60

Where to stay
Radetzky Hotel Complex, ***
in Botev Park, 3 km, or 2 miles, from the centre of
Kozloduy, phone: (0973) 828 92
Istur Hotel, phone: (0973) 802 60

32

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St Ivan of Rila
A thousand years before John Updike visited the Rila Monastery, a hermit
founded what would become the most astonishing holy sanctuary in
Bulgaria. Behind its magnificently frescoed walls it houses contradictory
relics which Updike expertly noticed


Rila Monastery

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...

Updikes character is taken on the compulsory minibus

trip to the Rila Monastery, the largest and most beautiful Bulgarian priory, which is invariably in the top-five list
of tourist spots in the country despite its Balkantourist
image of a beautiful but dead architectural reserve.
Updike wrote: For five centuries the Turks had ruled
Bulgaria, and the Christian churches, however richly
adorned within, had humble exteriors

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Vera Something-ova ( ).

36

n his magnificent short story The Bulgarian Poetess,

for years set reading for students of Anglo-American
literature, John Updike describes his visit to the
Communist Bulgaria of the 1960s. At the time, Updike
comments, it was a country where Bulgarian and
African students, encouraged by the authorities,
smashed the windows of the American legation; the
drabness of existence was all-embracing; and the only
real thing you could touch were the eggs for breakfast
in the restaurant of the Moscow Park Hotel. Updikes
protagonist meets a succession of claustrophobic
functionaries of the official Writers Union, a university
professor who speaks the correct but quaint language
of Mark Twain and Sinclair Lewis, one or two gentlemen of ill-defined status, and inevitably falls in love,
platonically, with the heroine of the story, the poetess
Vera Something-ova (while his interpreter Petrov is
asking him for an opinion on Drrenmatt).


-
XIX .
The frescoes in the Rila
Monastery were done
by some of the bestknown 19th Century
Bulgarian icon painters

37

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Every inch of wall was covered with eighteenth-century frescoes. Those in the narthex depicted a Hell where the devils wielded scimitars. Passing through the tiny nave, Bech
peeked through the iconostasis into the screened area that,
in the symbolism of Orthodox architecture, represented
the next, the hidden world Paradise and glimpsed a row
of books, an easy chair, a pair of ancient oval spectacles.
Outdoors again, he felt released from the unpleasantly tight
atmosphere of a childrens book.

The Rila Monastery, Updike continues, is a citadel of

Bulgarian national feeling during the years of the Turkish
Yoke.

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The key word during this visit to the Rila Monastery, and,
metaphorically, in Bulgaria and the Eastern bloc as a whole,
as Updike correctly observes, is suffering. To a great extent, and more than any other religious centre, this monastery stands as a symbol of centuries-long suffering - either
of ones free will or imposed by outside factors, which the
Orthodox Church claims will finally bring redemption.

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The idea dates back quite some time before Updike, to the
9th Century, when Ivan Rilski (876-946), a hermit, mystic, and
godly man, swallowed a large amount of herbs and potions
in order to embalm himself while he was still alive. Deeply
impressed, his followers started to believe that his body
possessed healing powers. Captivated by his repute, Tsar
Petur (927-970), who was later declared a saint too, wanted
to meet the secluded old man himself, but Ivan refused. He
turned down the gold which Petur had brought as well. After
the old mans death, more and more pilgrims started to flock
to the monastery in order to touch his curative bones. But
Tsar Petur decided that if he appropriated his relics, his supremacy would become better-established and in the middle
of the 900s, he moved them to Sredets, present-day Sofia.

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38

In 1183, when Bulgaria was under Byzantine rule, King Bela

III of Hungary conquered Sredets and entrusted St Ivans relics to the cathedral in Esztergom. One legend relates how
the local archbishop expressed doubts that the bones belonged to a saint and was instantly struck blind. Indulgence
from above came, and he regained his sight only after he
publicly repented.

St Ivan Rilskis hand

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The most important religious artefacts in the Rila Monastery are

usually well-hidden. These are an icon of the Virgin Mary considered to be miracle-working, and the relic of the founder of the
monastery, St Ivan Rilski. A century ago, the saints hand stuck
out of an ornamented coffin in the church and pilgrims came to
kiss it. However, after one particularly devoted admirer tried to
bite off a piece, the monks had to encase it in glass.
The story goes that the atheistically-minded rulers of Communist
times were enraged by the throng of pilgrims and tried to carry
away the saints remains. As a result of the monks prayers,
their truck would not start and they were forced to return the
skeleton.
Now Ivan Rilskis hand is not only kept under a glass cover,
but also displayed on major religious holidays. The bones rest
among a lot of silver stashed away in a drawer. The monks
would only unlock it on a timetable and would remain adamant
to tourists pleas.

39

 1187 .,
1469 .

The saints remains were taken back to Sredets in 1187 with

the help of the Byzantine emperor, but they returned to the
Rila Monastery as late as 1469.

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St Ivan Rilskis right hand was taken to Russia by monks who

went there to seek sponsorship from the Russian Empire.
The left one was preserved.

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Under Communism, the Rila Monastery gradually lost its religious significance and turned into a tourist site. For those
unfamiliar with the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is exotic.
But for devotees, it is one of the most important landmarks
of Orthodoxy which have survived over the centuries. For
everyone, however, it is beautiful. The church, which was
obviously decorated under Byzantine influence, houses
some valuable artefacts of Bulgarian spiritual culture. It is
adorned with icons painted by the Zografskis, the most famous Bulgarian family of icon-painters, superb woodcarving
by masters from Debar and Samokov, and boasts a number
of unique relics.

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Although situated on 28,870 sq ft, or 8,800 sq m, at present

its nearly 300 cells are inhabited by only a few monks. One
of them acts as a hotel receptionist for those who would like
to make a donation in exchange for monastic accommodation.
It is well worth staying overnight, because guests are given the charming benefit of having to slip through a small
low door cut inside the big gate after the yard is locked at
about 8 pm - offering them the chance to ramble around the
courtyard in absolute stillness - and in moonlight. In the early
morning, the ringing of church bells will waken both body
and soul.
The monks and the abbot are usually affable, and will
gladly tell you a number of stories related both to the New
Testament and the history of the monastery. You should remember, however, that for them this is a place of prayer
and fast, and not a tourist attraction. They are annoyed not
only by signs of irreligiousness, but also by indication of alternative religiousness, including the non-Orthodox denominations.
The Rila Monastery is indeed living history, and visitors would
better leave it this way. John Updike would have agreed.

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The stone tower, known as Hrelyova kula, or Hrelyos Tower, is the

oldest preserved building in the modern monastery. It was erected
in 1335 as a fortification. On the last floor there is a magnificent
chapel, inaccessible for non-clerical visitors without the abbots
permission

42

43

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1,500 figures only slightly bigger

than rice grains

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The iconostasis, covered
by a intricate carvings
of gold leaf, is probably
he grandest achievement
of the Samokov School
woodcarvers

44

The greatest attraction of the Rila Monastery is the wooden cross

which, at the end of the 18th Century, took a monk named Raphael
12 years to create. The relic takes a place of honour among the
exhibits in the small museum.
More than 140 biblical scenes with more than 1,500 participants
are depicted on the 1.64 ft, or 50 cm, high cross - some of them
the size of rice grains. The miniature figures cover both sides of
the cross. The monk, who held such ethereal diligence, crafted the
cross using a needle, after which he lost his sight.
The museum also houses interesting examples of church plate,
donation certificates from tsarist Russia, some signed by Ivan the
Terrible himself, and a lithographic machine imported from Vienna.
The pictures of devils trying to balk the good deeds of the laity may
not be of high artistic value for the non-believer, but are certainly
quite funny.

45

A grave for the heart

of King Boris III

-
III (19181943).
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The most controversial part of the Rila Monasterys modern

history is the tomb of King Boris III (1894-1943). It contains
only a glass vessel with the heart of the former Bulgarian king,
father of the former prime minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg.

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Before his death, Boris III left instructions to be buried in this

humble place, under a simple wooden cross. His will was carried out, but when the Communists took over, their leader
Georgi Dimitrov, afraid that the tomb would become a place
of pilgrimage, ordered the kings remains to be removed away
from peoples eyes. Their trail was lost. Some theories claim
they were scattered around in the Iskur Gorge, others say that
they were buried in the former royal palace of Vrana, which the
Communists had blankly expropriated. In the course of over
40 years all traces of the royal funeral in the Rila Monastery
were obliterated. The only thing to remind of any construction
changes was some displaced floor tiles.
The glass vessel with the monarchs heart was found as late
as the 1990s and was laid back in the Rila Monastery.
The reason for this kind of interest is the mystery surrounding
the kings death. He died in the prime of his life after a sudden
short illness following a visit to Nazi Germany.
In 2003, at the 60th anniversary of his fathers death, Simeon
Saxe-Coburg stated that he had acquiesced to the heart attack version. Despite this fact, a few historians still maintain
the hypothesis that Boris III was poisoned by Hitler because
of his intention to withdraw Bulgaria from its ill-fated alliance
with Germany.
His son claims that he has checked all possible archives, including the Russian ones, but has been unable to locate any
precise information about his fathers death.

47

 1992 .
The Rila National Park, established in 1992, covers nearly half the Rila mountain range

.

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The monastery is situated in a narrow valley between Rilas

forested ridges along the Rilska River. A thousand yards eastwards there is a fine view to Mount Malyovitsa, which is very
popular with climbers, and further east are the paths to the
Ribni Ezera, or Fish Lakes. Trekking is a favourite activity for
both Bulgarian and foreign visitors, and they sometimes use
the monastery as a starting base for hikes.
The nearest destination is Ivan Rilskis Tomb, which is about
an hours walk uphill. Some 500 ft, or 150 m, above the monastery is James Bouchiers grave. He was a correspondent
for the British Times in Bulgaria from 1892 to 1915 and a supporter of the Bulgarian liberation cause.

The Rila Monastery has been recognised as a World Heritage site by UNESCO

48

How to get there

There is a good asphalt road to the monastery branching
from the international road from Sofia to Kulata.

,
$15 , . (7054) 22 08.

.
,
, . (02) 846 80 45
, . (7054) 21 06
, . (088) 8 216 527

Where to stay
The monastery provides accommodation; price is $15
per bed; phone (7054) 2208
Tsarev Vruh Hotel Complex, right by the east monastery
gate and the Rilska River, phone (02) 846 8045
Zodiac Complex, phone (088) 8 216 527

50