The first Christian monastery in Bulgaria, Rila was founded by the hermit John of Rila (Yoan of Rila, in Bulgarian Ivan Rilski), who is the traditional patron saint of Bulgaria. Rila grew rapidly in power and influence from the 13th to the 14th century. After a devastating fire, it was rebuilt and fortified (c. 1334–35) in its present location by the feudal lord Khrelio (also spelled Hrelyo or Hreljo). During the Ottoman Turkish occupation (14th–19th century) and the accompanying cultural domination of Bulgaria by Greece, Rila again flourished, in part owing to its isolation from Ottoman power centres. In the 18th and 19th centuries Rila was a cradle for the “National Revival” of Bulgaria. The monastery supported book publishing, a library and archives, and various educational institutions. It also attracted a large number of pilgrims.

Along with other church properties, the monastery fell under direct control of the post-World War II communist regimes. Unlike most other religious sites, however, Rila was granted protected status (1961) by the Bulgarian government. In 1983 UNESCO designated the monastery a World Heritage site. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church regained its title to Rila subsequent to the fall of Todor Zhivkov’s communist government in 1989, and the succeeding government formally reinstated the complex as a monastery in 1991.

The main sections standing today were constructed in the early to mid-19th century in an irregularly shaped polygon. Within its imposing frame are hundreds of dormitory rooms and halls, as well as archives and museums of history and ethnography. The relics of St. John of Rila are also on display. Smooth stone walls around the exterior rise four to five stories (some 65 feet [20 metres]) and are topped by a clay tile roof. The white brick archways and polished wooden balconies of the interior of the polygon surround a spacious courtyard paved with flagstones. In the centre of the courtyard is a domed church, which is admired for its colourful frescoes and its iconostasis (sanctuary partition) of carved wood. Next to the church stands the 74-foot- (23-metre-) high Tower of Khrelio (built c. 1334–35), which contains a vaulted chapel on its top story.

The wooded hills of the environs shelter several small monasteries, churches, and chapels housing a variety of religious art. To the northeast is the most famous of these sites, the Hermitage of St. John of Rila, a church that was erected about 1746 and rebuilt by 1820. The church stands near the cave in which the hermit lived and was buried (his remains were later moved). Both the cave and the church are pilgrimage destinations.

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