Shipka Memorial Monument

During the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 and 1878, Shipka Pass was the scene of a series of conflicts collectively named the Battle of Shipka Pass, fought between the Russians aided by Bulgarian volunteers and the Ottoman Empire.

The Shipka Memorial Monument -„Шипка“ is on Stoletov Peak near the pass, reached by a flight of steps or a short road. It is a Memorial monument to those who died for the Liberation of Bulgaria during the Battles of Shipka Pass in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. It was opened with a ceremony in 1934 and designed by architect Atanas Donkov and sculptor Aleksandar Andreev.

The monument is a 31.5 m high stone tower in the form of a truncated pyramid. A giant bronze lion 8 m  long and 4 m high, stands above the entrance to the tower, and a figure of a woman represents the victory over the Ottoman forces. A marble sarcophagus housing some of the remains of the Russian and Bulgarian casualties is located on the first floor. There are four other floors where one can find replica of Bulgarian military flags and other relics, and the top of the tower reveals a beautiful panorama of Shipka Peak and the surrounding area.

Going south down from the Shipka pass you will find yourself in the village of Shipka. Don't miss to stop there and to see another one of the beautiful and very pictureful monasteries in Bulgaria Shipka Monastery.

The Temple Monument of Shipka - the Birth of Christ (Храм-паметник „Рождество Христово“, Hram-pametnik „Rozhdestvo Hristovo“), better known as Shipka Monument Church or Shipka Monastery is a Bulgarian Orthodox Church built near the town of Shipka in Stara Planina between 1885 and 1902 by Antoniy Tomishko under the direction of architect Alexander Pomerantsev.

The church's bell tower reaches a height of 53 m and its bells, the heaviest of which weighs 12 tons, were cast from the cartridges that were collected after the battles. In the temple itself, the names of the Russian regiments and Bulgarian volunteers are inscribed on 34 marble plates. The remains of the perished are laid in 17 stone tombs in the church's crypt.

Going down to the part north of the Pass Shipka you can go and visit many other churches, many monasteries in this area - Sokolski Monastery, Drianovski Monastery and the Cave just nearby "Bacho Kiro", Gabrovo, Veliko Tarnovo with all the churches and monasteries nearby, many villages like Arbanasi and Bojentsi, which saved the history architecture of Bulgaria and the small special village, which is an Open Air Museum called "Etura - Architectural-Ethnographic Complex". Don't miss to see all these beautiful places moreover they are very close one to another one.

Rila Monastery - The Most Ancient Sanctuary

The Rila Monastery is situated in the Southern Bulgaria, 117 km away from Sofia and 40 km away from Blagoevgrad. Rising at 1147 m above sea level it lies amidst some of the most scenic recesses of Rila Mountains, to which the monastery owes its name. On either side the swift and clear flowing rivers of Rilska and Drushlyavitsa flank it. The Malyovitsa peak, reaching a height of 2729 m is within a four hours walking distance and within as many again is the Rila’s highest point – mount Moussala, 2925 m.

According to some sources the monk hermit John of Rila (Ivan Rilski) who dwelt in a stone cave not far from the monastery’s main complex founded the Rila Monastery in the 10th century. The originator of the Rila foundation who lived during the reign of the Bulgarian Tsar Peter (927-968) was raised to sainthood by the grateful Christians in sign of homage to his lifework. The disciples of John of Rila who lived at that same time should also be merited for the creation of the monastery.

In The Middle Ages the Bulgarian Rulersshoved great interest in the personality of the monk and the Rila cloister of which John of Rila’s life history gives valuable evidence. Byzantine and Bulgarian writers composed or made copies of sections of his life which gave an account of moments of historical significance in the political, social and cultural life of these ages. The Bulgarian Tsars Ivan Asses II (1218-1241), Kaliman (1241-1246), Ivan Alexander and Ivan Shishman (1371-1393) made lavish gifts to the monastery. The Donation Deed of Tsar Ivan Shishman of 1378, which has been preserved until this day at the monastery museum, attests to the privileges that the monastery enjoyed and the extension of its estates. All though the 12th-14th centuries there was an upsurge of the monastery’s cultural and artistic activities. Talented writers, painters and master-builders have left fascinating manuscripts, church and residential buildings, frescoes of high artistic value, remarkable works of the applied arts, woodcuts, church plates and icon paintings.

There is a long story to say about Rila Monastery but you should go there to hear it and to see the biggest monastery in Bulgaria in Rila Mountain.

The present-day appearance of the monastery is from the 19th century. The construction of the residential buildings started in 1816. Spread on an area of 8800 square meters in the shape of an irregular quadrangle, they form an enclosed ensemble. Rising in the middle of the courtyard is a high stone fortress tower built by the local feudal Sebastocrator Hrelyu in 1334-1335, and a small church dated to 1343. In 1844 added to the tower was a small belfry. Later on the monumental building of the monastery’s Principal Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was erected where the old Hrelyu Tower had once stood. The richly decorated walls strengthen the impressiveness of the interior, a great diversity of compositions depicting religious scenes, and a unique woodcut iconostasis with azure fretwork. Abundant light penetrating through the openings beneath the domes and the walls illuminates the mural paintings, gold-plated fretwork, lanterns and candlesticks thus lending optimism to the spiritual atmosphere as a whole. The three-curved balance-beam pediment is remarkable, crowning the church together with the three domes clearly emphasized above the roof. The open arcade gallery with stone columns and exquisitely curved arches with ornamental inscriptions, blind cupolas and a gallery of pictorial scenes representing subjects from the Gospel invite one to enter the temple. The execution of the monumental mural paintings carried on the traditions of the medieval art, yet the new age set its mark in the way of color, purity of line and realism in the characteristic trend of the Bulgarian Revival Period. The individual stroke marks of many painters can be discerned in the frescoes of the principal church but only Zahary Zograph has signed and dated his works in 1844.

The four-storied residential buildings in which there are about 300 monastic cells, four chapels, an abbot’s room, a refectory, a big kitchen, a library and guest rooms intended for the donors from Koprivshtitsa, Teteven, Chirpan, and a number of premises for household activities, give the irregular quadrangle shape of the enclosed monastery courtyard. Several more churches, chapels and holy grounds, situated in the proximity of the central buildings, also belong to the Rila Monastery complex.

The Rila Monastery treasures some of the most impressive icon paintings created in the 14th-19th centuries as a special favor for the cloister.

After the liberation from Turkish invaders, the Rila Monastery acquired new rights and made headway in its cultural and economic development. In 1976 it was declared a national historical reserve and in 1983 it was included into the UNESCO list of the world cultural and historical heritage.

The Old Plovdiv

Evmolpia, Philippopolis, Trimontium, Old Plovdiv

Old Plovdiv is a city in the city of Plovdiv, the second biggest city in Bulgaria. It is situated on three hills rising in the Thracian plain and washed by the quietly flowing waters of the Maritsa River.

An ancient crossroads between East and West and Bulgaria's second largest city today, Plovdiv has preserved unique treasures from its 24 centuries long history. From the city's ancient buildings - the city forum, the stadium, the amphitheatre of Philip II of Macedon, basilicas, thermae, houses and administrative buildings, mostly fragments remain today: columns, capitals, friezes, mosaics, bas-reliefs and street pavements. The 2nd century Antique Theatre, seating 3000 has been completely restored and performances are again presented here.

Landmarks remaining from the time of Ottoman rule include the Imaret Mosque (1444-1445), now a branch of the Archaeological Museum; Djumaya Mosque dating from the same period, and the bell tower, one of Europe's oldest ones and mentioned in a 1633 travelogue.

Socio-political life during the National Revival period reflected on the nature of construction. The Bulgarian church went beyond its prime objective of opposing Mohammedanism and became a part of the nationwide movement for political and cultural liberation.

The erecting of churches in prominent places in towns and villages became a matter of national prestige. The Three-nave basilicas churches St. Nedelya and St. Dimiter (both built in 1831) are guided by the same interior composition principles whereby the pithy structure is blended with National Revival architecture and sculpture. The altar walls are in themselves major artistic achievements. The gilded Baroque iconostasis in the St. Constantine and Helena Church (1832) were carved by Ivan Pashkoula. The 1836 icons were painted by Zahari Zograph - the foremost master of church and monastery painting during the National Revival period. The St. Marina main metropolitan church (1853-1854) represents a threenave basilica with massive stonewalls and vaults. Its six-level, step-like wooden belfry is exquisite. Unknown masters of the Debur school carved pulpit and bishop’s throne the altar. The icons were painted by Stanislav Dospevski (1823-1878) - the first trained Bulgarian artist.

Old Plovdiv on Trimontium is the centre of Bulgarian National Revival architecture at its height. Developing in a natural way, the Bulgarian building traditions form the core around which the new styles of the time evolved; the most attractive of these being Baroque with its dynamics, passion and revolving of forms around an idea. So when specialists write about "Bulgarian Baroque" they have in mind these essential principles, rather than the formal aspects of the style - even more so since neither construction materials nor technologies were borrowed. Plovdiv's houses represent different versions of a symmetrical plan dominated by a centrally situated square or oval salon (in the home of the well known Bulgarian merchant Argir Koyumdjioglou it is 133 sq. m. large). On both sides the remaining rooms of the house - bedrooms, drawing rooms, kitchens and bathrooms, flank the salon while the cellar held the household premises. The pediments and facades were brightly painted, featuring medallions, landscapes, ribbons and garlands. The walls of the salons and rooms depicted painted friezes, vases with flowers, exotic or architectural landscapes, birds, tulips, bunches of grapes and vines. Decorative carved ceilings topped the lot.

Just take a look at the Georgiadi House (1846-1848) built by Master Hadji Georgi, now the Museum of the National Revival and the National Liberation Struggles, the Koyumdjioglou House (1846-1848), today's Ethnographic Museum, the houses on 15, Kiril Nektariev Street, on 32, Petko R. Slaveikov Street, and on 4, A. Gidikov Street, the Hindlyanova House, the Balabanov House and the Alphonse de Lamartine museum-house (1830) where the French poet lived for a few months. Space and brokenness, abundant decoration and lavish furnishings, softly coloured silhouettes and carved ceilings - not for nothing were these houses called "sultan yapia", the houses of sultans or lords. Plovdiv's two-and three-storey houses with their multi-coloured facades, yoke-shaped bay windows and slender pediments are as eye-catching as ever, fairly resembling minor palaces.

There are many more things to see in Plovdiv: the permanent exhibition of Zlatyu Boyadjiev (1903-1976) one of Bulgaria's great artists who loved and painted Plovdiv, the workshops of the traditional masters of old Bulgarian arts and crafts on Strumna Street - coppersmiths, furriers, potters.

Evmolpia - the city of the ancient Thracians, Philippopolis (372 b.c.) - the city of Philip II of Macedon, the Roman Trimontium - the city on three hills and Old Plovdiv - a picturesque architectural National Revival period ensemble fashioned by the generous talent, heart and mind of the Bulgarian masters.