Today on Day 5 we are going to visit 3 places in Sofia, Bulgaria:
Boyana Church
and the Rila Monastery .
Then we depart to Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, for dinner and overnight stay. Here are the pics sourced from the Internet:
the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Boyana Church
Rila Monastery
After breakfast, we are going to visit the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral -first: the cathedral built in memory of many soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish War.
Excellent breakfast at Metropolitan Hotel and I'm afraid to say I over ate!!
Before we can reach the Cathedral, the tour guide took us to the town square.
Lots of lovely fountains, flowers and lawns.
Such beautiful tulips!
We walked aroound the business and commercial centre of town, cool yet sunny!
The guards...stiff and not at ease!
ruins in the centre of the busy business district.
National Theatre
After walking, we reached the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral!!! It is huge!!!
The gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in the early 20th century in memory of the 200,000 Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Bulgarian soldiers, who died in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878. It is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world. The cathedral’s gold-plated dome is 45 m high, with the bell tower reaching 50.52 m.
The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia’s symbols and primary tourist attractions.The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,100 sq ft) and can hold 10,000 people inside. It is the second biggest cathedral located on the Balkan Peninsula after the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade
It is so big that we cannot photograph it in its entirety, and we are now resting on the steps!!!
The girls of course find it Instagram ready!
This is how the cathedral looks like!
Now, we Continue our tour to the Boyana Church a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church on the UNESCO World Heritage List that is famous for its frescoes from 1259.
We are excited to see Boyana church! This is only the entrance!
Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church it is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art
From an architectural point of view, Boyana Church is a pure example of a church with a Greek cross ground-plan with dome, richly decorated facades and decoration of ceramic elements. It is one of the most remarkable medieval monuments with especially fine wall paintings.
To view the wall paintings we had to go inside this little entrance which has a bullet riddled door! .
Look at all the bullet holes!!!
The property has remained intact from historic invasions, and other destructive threats
"To safeguard and present the internal 11th and 12th centuries fresco fragments, those from the 13th century, and the later 1882 additions in the antechamber, they were cleaned, refilled and conserved. This work was completed in 2008. The property is now air-conditioned, and under constant surveillance."
Once inside, no photos were allowed
But this is how the preserved frescoes look like: from the website.https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/42
It is now time for lunch: Chinese!!
Strange to have Chinese food in Sofia, Bulgaria!
We still have the Rila Monastery to visit.
Coffee/Toilet break en route.
After lunch, leave for Rila to visit its
Rila monastery, which is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.
The Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia .
The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876 - 946 AD), and houses around 60 monks.
Founded in the 10th century, the 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
The entrance to Rila Monastery
Main Church "Nativity of the Virgin Mother"
and the courtyard.
The whole complex occupies an area of 8,800 m² and is rectangular in form, centred on the inner yard (3,200 m²), where the tower and the main church are situated.
Outer corridor with frescoes
West portico frescos
That's me, shooting the monk, I'm shot by Mary Anne, who was a reporter once.
View of the courtyard and the arched outer corridors
Detail of one of the frescoes
The arrival of the Ottomans in the end of the 14th century was followed by numerous raids and a destruction of the monastery in the middle of the 15th century, however, restoration work ensured that this monastery is preserved.
In 2008 alone, it attracted 900,000 visitors. The monastery is depicted on the reverse of the 1 lev banknote, issued in 1999.
I really feel honoured and privileged to be able to view this piece of architectural marvel!!!! Luckily we were given ample time to wander around the courtyard, inside the porticos , to view the frescoes, and had the chance to come face to face with some monks too!
Now it's time to depart to Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, for dinner and overnight stay.
Our Hotel in Skopje – I can't read the name...good night!!!
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