The 120 monasteries are living chronicles of Bulgaria history, culture, and sprit.

  The first traces of religious life in the area date back to the end of the 16th century. According to the monastery’s chronicles, kept by an unknown monk, the monastery was founded by a hermit who came to the place and built himself a simple cottage some years after the fall of the second Bulgarian state. Later he built a church consecrated to the Holy Virgin. Between the time of its establishment and 1830, the monastery lived through difficult times, when it was often destroyed and its monks killed. The monastery is built in the style of the Bulgarian Renaissance. The chapel of St Nikolay is the oldest but best preserved religious building in the area, though it lies outside the present-day monastery complex, at about half an hour walk south of it. The monastery’s church, “Assumption of Virgin Mary”, was built in 1835, and impress the visitors with its architecture. Though its parts were built by various masters at different times, the monastery is remarkable for its harmony. The frescoes in it were painted in 1847-1849 by the famous Bulgarian artist, Zahari Zograf from the Samokov school of art and iconography. It was also linked to the Bulgarians’ struggle against the Ottoman rule. The Troyan monastery frequently hosted the famous Bulgarian Apostle of Freedom, Vassil Levski.

  It is believed that initially, the Kilifarevo monastery was built between 1348 and 1350. Its founder is the Bulgarian clergyman, Teodosii of Turnovo, who transformed the cloister into one of the most important centers of the Bulgarian education and literature of the Middle Ages. The monastery was surrounded by thick walls, while the monks’ residential part was placed in their inward-looking side. A few-storey tower was rising in the centre of the inner yard, but it did not save the Kilifarevo monastery from being ruined to the ground and the cultural centre to be completely destroyed shortly after the invasion of the Ottoman troops in Bulgaria. Centuries afterwards, in 1718, the monastery was restored in its present-day place. In the end of the 18th century the cloister was destroyed by the so-called Kurdzhalii several times, but only to be rebuilt again and again. The famous Bulgarian Renaissance master, Kolyo Fitcheto, started the construction of the present-day one-dome basilica St Dimitar in 1840. The master decided to preserve the old altar wall and the two chapels, dedicated to St Teodosii and St Ivan of Rila. The church was finished in 1842, while the internal decoration was completed a year later. The icons and the iconostasis represent a golden masterpieces.

  The name of Aladzha monastery comes from the Turkish word for colourful ("aladzha") due to the bright colours of its wall paintings, dating back to the early Middle Ages. The monk's cells, common rooms and sanctuaries, dugged directly into the limestone rock and situated on two levels high above the ground, were connected by external staircase. The lower floor hosted the monks' private cells, common rooms (i.e. kitchen, dining room) and a small church, while the upper level was dedicated entirely to the chapel. According to some historians, primitive monks' cells were built and inhabited already in the 4th century AC. The entire monastery is considered to date back to the 12th century AC. Unfortunately, nowadays only few of the frescoes are preserved (most of these to be found in the chapel) but the experience of visiting a monastery dug high above the ground into a steep rock is unforgettable.

  The monastery was founded in 1083 by the Byzantine military commander, Grigorii Bakuriani and his brother Abazii. Yet only the two-storey bone-vault, which lies about 300m to the east of the present-day complex, is still kept from that time. There could be found unique wall-paintings, which rank among the most valuable works of Orthodox art of the 11th –12th c. Even though the Bachkovo monastery survived the first Ottoman invasion, it was not saved later and like the other cloister was ruined down. It was restored at the end of the 15th century with the dining hall having been reconstructed in 1601, and the present-day church, Virgin Mary, – in 1604. The wall-paintings of the dining hall, finished in 1603 by an unknown master, are particularly impressive for their artistic value. The church, on the other hand, also boasts with beautiful frescoes, but what draws mostly on visitors is its icon of Virgin Mary, believed to be wonder-working. Besides the main church, the complex also has two smaller churches: one called St Archangels (13th - 14th c.) and the other named after St Nikola (1834-1837). The St Nikola church rises in the southern part of the yard and is worth visiting for the well-kept paintings of the famous artist Zahari Zograf, finished in 1841. The monastery also has its own museum which holds rare religious collection.

  Rila Monastery has been listed as UNESCO World Monument of Culture. Today it is still acting as a monk monastery. Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th c. by the Bulgarian monk St. Ivan Rilski /St. John of Rila, 876-946/ and was rebuilt to its present appearance in the 13th – 14th c.. The Fortress Tower /1334/, the Bishop’s Throne, the five-domed church, the richly carved doors, icon-paintings, church-plates and manuscripts are dated from that time. Rila Monastery is the most imposing sample of Bulgarian architecture and art, and is the oldest monastery in our land. It was also the most important center of literacy and education in Bulgaria during the Ottoman rule. The museum exposition, displayed in the ground floor of the monastery is one of the richest and most valuable collections on the Balkans. One of the most impressing work of art is the The Raphael’s Cross. The cross is made of a whole piece of wood (81cm x 43cm) and is named after its creator. The monk used fine chisels, small knives and magnifying lens to carve 104 religious scenes and 650 small figures into the cross. The cross was finished in 1802 after the monk worked on it for no less than 12 years, losing his sight upon completion The chronicle of the Rila Monastery reflects the entire turbulent history of Bulgaria and its people.

  The Rozhen monastery is the biggest sanctuary in the Pirin region and one of the few Bulgarian monasteries of the Middle Ages, which has survived relatively untouched up to present days. According to annals kept in Atone, Greece, the monastery dates back at least to 890 AC. The church of the monastery, named St Birth of Virgin Mary, later gave its name to the nearby village of Rozhen (Rozhen coming from the root of the Bulgarian word for birth, ‘Rozhdenie’). The monastery was destroyed by fire in the early 17th century, but was rebuilt in the beginning of the 18th century with the financial support of Bulgarians from all over the country. Besides well preserved wall paintings, the monastery is famous for its stained glass (the oldest of its type preserved till present days) and unique woodcarvings.

  The monastery’s establishment dates back to 1345, the time of the Second Bulgarian State (which ended with the Ottoman invasion in Bulgarian lands at the end of the 14th century). In contrast to most other Bulgarian monasteries, Virgin Mary of Vitosha was saved from destruction by the Ottoman conquerors. Nevertheless, a few years later, it was abandoned by its monks. Soon afterwards, in 1476, it was renovated and brought back to life by a Sofia boyar, Radoslav Mavar. During this reconstruction, the small church of the monastery was decorated with beautiful frescoes, most of which have been preserved to present days.. In addition to its valuable frescoes from three different time periods, the monastery is also famous for hosting a so-called cell school during the Ottoman rule. Besides being a cultural and educational centre (with its apogee in the 15-16th centuries), the Dragalevtsi monastery is a typical representative of the still-preserved Bulgarian monasteries, which took active part in the secret revolutionary activity against the Turks in the mid-19th century.