“Bulgaria 🇧🇬 ~Ivanovo Area and a Rock-Hewn Church”
We had the very best day, today. Bulgaria is really starting out well for us. The ease of getting from one place to the next is much easier than we have experienced, the whole time in the Balkans. We are still in Eastern Europe, but the roads are wider and in better shape; though you may read other visitors saying they are not good. All I can say to that is they may have not been in all of the Balkan fir a true comparison. We haven’t needed to drive up and over climbing over any mountain ranges, as yet. So far it’s wide open and easy miles.
The drive to get out to Ivanovo to see the incredible Rock Church was beautiful. We drove through farming country with nothing but corn and sunflowers for miles and miles in every direction! It is harvest time right now, too. It has been interesting to watch the fields of sunflower and corn/maize come to their full term, over the months we have been spent in the Balkans. Now, with summer getting closer to ending, we saw with the harvest equipment come in and do their business with the crops.
The Rock-Hewn Cave Church:
“The Holy Virgin Church”
We thought we would get to visit more than one Rock Church, but after arriving, we learned one of the cave churches had fully collapsed, and another is now unstable. This left only one Rock Church for viewing. We were grateful we got to see it, as it too may fall to pieces, one day.
There was a gentleman watching over the church. He did not speak English, but did his best to show us the Frescos and their meanings. I caught certain words that helped confirm what we saw…. we did not have to pay any entrance fees, though the internet posts will indicate it costs money.
The space is not very big, yet there is what is called a chapel and the other part is called the church. Here we are in the church part
The caves in the region were inhabited by monks from the 1320’s to the 17th century, where they hewed cells, churches and chapels, out of solid rock.
At the peak of the Monastery complex, the number of churches were about 40, while the other premises were around 300; most of which are not preserved today.
Their 13th and 14th-century Frescoes, preserved in Five of the churches, are considered wonderful examples of Bulgarian Christian mediaeval art.
This, here in Bulgaria is the first Christian Cave Church we have been in. I found this to be extra special, since it felt more relatable, and not just amazing and wonderful, like the others.
Another thing that makes this place so interesting is the fact that the spiritual complex was inhabited by monks who practiced Hesychasm.
Hesychasm, in Eastern Christianity, is a type of monastic life in which practitioners seek divine quietness (Greek hēsychia) through the contemplation of God in uninterrupted prayer. Such prayer, involving the entire human being ~soul, mind, and body—is often called “pure,” or “intellectual,” prayer or the Jesus Prayer.
Two Bulgarian kings; Ivan Assen II and Ivan Alexander were the donors of this spiritual complex
The paintings represent famous scenes from the Bible. Specialists point them out as a great art achievement because they differ from the canons of Byzantine iconography from that time
In 1979 the monastery complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
There are many problems related to the preservation of the Rock-Hewn Churches. One of them is the instability of the rock formation in the area. Additional challenges are the polluted air and the infiltration of water in some of the rock cells, as well as the growth of microorganisms in the Frescoe layers.
After of fun at the Rock. Church, it is now time to find another nights stay. It is now on a Friday, and if we are correct in our assumption, this may be the final weekend for the locals to be vacationing, before school starts for their kids. Things may get quieter and less busy. The last couple of weekends we have had loud (unpleasant) music to contend with on Friday and Saturday, which have gone on till 1AM, wherever we have been. Daryl sleeps well, no matter what, but I have a harder time with noise…..After several stops, we were unable to find any vacancies in Ivanovo, which is a very remote and old town, but in a good way. Lots of character! It reminded me a bit of an old ghost town, too. We were a bit surprised to find no rooms left; not that there were many hotels or guest houses to let. We eventually had to go to the neighboring city of Pyce to find a room.
Some photos around Ivanovo
We are hoping we are timing our visit to the Black Sea just right; next week at mid week, in September. We want to take a few days to relax and enjoy the seashore. I’m already thinking ahead for one of the adorable beach city locations, and may make a reservation, to be sure we get to stay where we want to; just in case the end of summer is still busy
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Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More
Absolutely stunning, what a blessing to see such beauty in person!! Looking forward to the beach and all the adventures on the way. ❤️
Thx Laurie, it is a great country! the Balkans are all great, but some are standouts, more than others. Albania was great, and Bulgaria is like that…of course Montenegro is the best! The adventure continues!
Wow, thanks for sharing, enjoyed the experience, except for the climb up, so out of condition
I’m glad you liked it, Judy. The climb wasn’t for very long, thankfully. Since we sheltered in place, we haven’t regained our endurance, completely. At our age, I’m not sure we will. It’s a drag. We stop and rest when we need to. My back, Daryls Knees… we are quite a pair.
The balcony was really something!
It sure was xx
Yay!
That balcony! Wow! Thanks for sharing!!
You are welcome, Franny. It was quite the adventure on this stop… yes, balcony. WOW