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Rila Monastery
The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery ("Sveti Ivan Rilski" (), is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River ("Rila River") at an elevation of above sea level, inside of Rila Monastery Nature Park and in close vicinity of the Rila Monastery Forest Nature Reserve. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Saint Ivan of Rila (876–946 AD), and houses approximately 60 monks. The monastery is a popular pilgrimage site for many Orthodox Christians. Founded in the 10th century, Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe for religious tourists. In 2008 alone it attracted 900,000 visitors. The monastery is depicted on the Obverse and reverse, reverse of the 1 Bulgarian le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rilska River
The Rilska River (, ''Rilska reka'', "Rila River") is a river in south-western Bulgaria, a left tributary of the Struma (river), Struma. The river is 51 km long and drains the western sections of the Rila mountain range. Geography Under the name Manastirska River, it takes its source from the north-eastern corner of the Ribni Lakes, Upper Ribno Lake in the western part of Central Rila at an altitude of 2,225 m in a cirque surrounded by the peaks Yosifitsa (2,697 m) in the east, Kanarata (2,666 m) in the south and Kyoravitsa (2,612 m) in the west. It flows through the Lower Ribno Lake, turns in north-western direction and after forming a large convex to the north it turns to the south-west. Following the confluence with its largest tributary, the Iliyna River, it flows in western direction under the name Rilska River. It forms deep and densely forested valley until it reaches the town of Rila, Bulgaria, Rila and enters the plain and wide Dupnitsa Valley. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rila Monastery Nature Park
Rila Monastery Nature Park () is one of the largest nature parks in Bulgaria, spanning a territory of in the western part of the Rila mountain range at an altitude between . It is in Rila Municipality, Kyustendil Province and includes forests, mountain meadows, alpine areas, and 28 glacial lakes. With a little more than 1 million visitors, it is the second-most visited nature park in the country, after Vitosha, Vitosha Nature Park. It was established in 1992 as part of the newly founded Rila National Park. In 2000 some territory of the national park was reassigned to the Rila Monastery and was recategorized as a nature park because by law all lands in national parks are exclusively state-owned. Most of the park is owned by the monastery. The park includes one nature reserve, Rila Monastery Forest, with an area of , or 14% of its total territory. The park falls entirely within the Rodope montane mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic realm, Palearctic temperat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church, canonical") Eastern Orthodox Church is Organization of the Eastern Orthodox Church, organised into autocephalous churches independent from each other. In the 21st century, the Organization of the Eastern Orthodox Church#Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches, number of mainstream autocephalous churches is seventeen; there also exist Organization of the Eastern Orthodox Church#Unrecognised churches, autocephalous churches unrecognized by those mainstream ones. Autocephalous churches choose their own Primate (bishop), primate. Autocephalous churches can have Ecclesiastical jurisdiction, jurisdiction (authority) over other churches, som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hrelja (protosebastos)
Hrelja also known as Protosebastos Hrelja (; ), also known as Stefan Dragovol (Стефан Драговол) or Hrelja Ohmućević () was a 14th-century semi-independent feudal lord in the region of northeastern Macedonia (region), Macedonia and the Rila mountains who served medieval Serbian kings Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia, Stefan Milutin, Stefan Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia, Stefan Dečanski and Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia, Stefan Dušan. He became independent Autocracy, autocrat with vast political autonomy and capital at Strumica, formally recognizing Byzantine authority. He is known for reconstructing the Rila Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, Bulgaria's largest and more important monastery, in 1334–1335. Life and Reign Hrelja was first mentioned in the 1320s as the commander of a Serbian military detachment involved in that time's Byzantine Empire, Byzantine civil war. With his detachment, Hrelja assisted Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. By tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian Revival (, ''Balgarsko vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and ), sometimes called the Bulgarian National Revival, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule. It is commonly accepted to have started with the historical book, ''Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya'', written in 1762 by Paisius of Hilendar, Paisius, a Bulgarian monk of the Hilandar monastery at Mount Athos, leading to the National awakening of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian National Awakening, modern Bulgarian nationalism, and lasting until the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 as a result of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. Characteristics The period is remarkable for its characteristic architecture which can still be observed in old Bulgarian towns such as Tryavna, Koprivshtitsa and Veliko Tarnovo, the rich literary heritage of authors like Ivan Vazov and Hristo Bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Culture Of Bulgaria
A number of ancient civilizations, including the Thracians, ancient Greeks, Scythians, Celts, ancient Romans, Goths (Ostrogoths and Visigoths), Slavs (East and West Slavs), Varangians and the Bulgars have left their mark on the culture, history and heritage of Bulgaria. Due to this great variety of influences, Bulgaria has adopted many unusual traditions. Thracian artifacts include numerous temples, tombs, golden treasures and ancient rites and rituals, while the Bulgars have left traces of their heritage in statehood, early architecture, music and dances. Thracian rituals such as the Tryphon Zarezan which is dedicated to Saint Tryphon of Campsada, Kukeri and Martenitsa are to this day kept alive in the modern Bulgarian culture. The oldest treasure of worked gold in the world, dating back to the 5th millennium BC, comes from the site of the Varna Necropolis. Bulgaria functioned as a cultural hub of Slavic Europe during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable litera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bulgarian Language
Bulgarian (; , ) is an Eastern South Slavic, Eastern South Slavic language spoken in Southeast Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the language of the Bulgarians. Along with the closely related Macedonian language (collectively forming the East South Slavic languages), it is a member of the Balkan sprachbund and South Slavic languages, South Slavic dialect continuum of the Indo-European language family. The two languages have several characteristics that set them apart from all other Slavic languages, including the elimination of grammatical case, case declension, the development of a suffixed definite article, and the lack of a verb infinitive. They retain and have further developed the Proto-Slavic language, Proto-Slavic verb system (albeit analytically). One such major development is the innovation of evidentiality, evidential verb forms to encode for the source of information: witnessed, inferred, or reported. It is the official Languages of Bulgaria, language of Bulgar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra (river), Yantra River and is famously known as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists with its unique architecture. The old part of the town is situated on three hills, Tsarevets (fortress), Tsarevets, Trapezitsa (fortress), Trapezitsa, and Sveta Gora, rising amidst the meanders of the Yantra. On Tsarevets are the palaces of the Bulgarian emperors and the Patriarchate, the Ascension Cathedral (Veliko Tarnovo), Patriarchal Cathedral, and also a number of administrative and residential edifices surrounded by thick walls. Trapezitsa is known for its many churches and as the former main residence of the nobility. During the Middle Ages, the town was among the main Euro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mara Branković
Mara Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Мара Бранковић; – 14 September 1487), or Mara Despina Hatun, in Europe also known as ''Amerissa'', ''Sultana Maria'' or ''Sultanina'', was the daughter of Despotate of Serbia, Serbian monarch Đurađ Branković and Eirene Kantakouzene. As the daughter of Despot Đurađ, wife of Sultan Murad II, and stepmother of Mehmed II the Conqueror, she came to play a significant role in the diplomatic negotiations of the Ottoman Empire. She became a leading member of the pro-Ottoman party in the Balkans and one of the most powerful women of the 15th century. Being a mother figure to Mehmed II, she was also his trusted advisor, acting as a diplomatic figure between the Ottoman court and European powers, which led ambassadors from Republic of Venice, Venice and Republic of Ragusa, Ragusa to frequently seek her counsel. Known as the "''mistress'' ''of the Christian noblewomen''," she promoted cooperation during periods of significant tension between Eu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dupnica
Dupnitsa, or Dupnica ( (previously ), ), is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a town in Western Bulgaria. It is at the foot of the highest mountains in the Balkan Peninsula – the Rila Mountains, and about south of the capital Sofia. Dupnitsa is the second largest town in Kyustendil Province. History The town has existed since ancient times. The German traveller Arnold von Harff visited Dupnitsa in 1499 and described it as a "beautiful town". The names ''Tobinitsa'', ''Doupla'' and ''Dubnitsa'' are mentioned throughout history, the last one used until the Liberation of Bulgaria, when the official name was changed to ''Dupnitsa''. In 1948 the town was renamed ''Stanke Dimitrov''; for a short period in 1949 it was called ''Marek''; the name was changed to ''Stanke Dimitrov'' in 1950. After the History of Democratic Bulgaria, democratic changes, the old name ''Dupnitsa'' was restored. On 15 October 1902, around 600 women and children fled to the vicinity of Dupnitsa from Mac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed as an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous region in Greece by the monastic community of Mount Athos, which is ecclesiastically under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The remainder of the peninsula forms part of the Aristotelis (municipality), Aristotelis municipality. By Greek law and by religious tradition, women are prohibited from entering the area governed by the monastic community. Mount Athos has been inhabited since ancient times and is known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to at least 800 AD during the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine era. Because of its long history of religious importance, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rossikon
Saint Panteleimon Monastery (, ), also known as Rossikon ( ) or New Russik (, ), is one of the twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos, located on the southwestern side of the peninsula in Northern Greece. It is the Russian monastery on the peninsula. It houses exclusively Russian monks, sent by the Russian Orthodox Church, and the liturgies are served in Russian, despite the fact that all monks on Mount Athos become citizens of Greece. History The monastery was founded by several monks from Kievan Rus' in the 11th century, which is why it is known as "Rossikon". It has been inhabited by mainly Russian monks in certain periods of its history. It was recognized as a separate monastery in 1169. The original monastery is known as . Russian pilgrim Isaiah confirms that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Russian. The monastery prospered in the 16th and 17th centuries being lavishly sponsored by the tsars of Russia and Serbian dukes of Kratovo, but it decl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
