Kurilo Monastery St. Ivan Rilski
In Bulgarian: Курилски манастир Свети Иван Рилски
Category: Monastery
Location: Novi Iskar
Longtitude: 23.39882970 Latitude: 42.83497956
The Kurilo Monastery St. Ivan Rilski is situated at the beginning of the Iskar Gorge, on the right bank of Iskar River, 1km north-eastern of Kurilo (a quarter of Novi Iskar town) and 15 km away from Sofia. It was founded in IX-X-th century, near the old Bulgarian fortress Beligrad. The Monastery is one of the oldest in the Sofia Eparchy. According to the legend, the relics of St. Ivan Rilski stayed there for a while during their transportation from Tarnovo to the Rila Monastery in 1469.
The monastery was destroyed in XV-th century during the Ottoman slavery and rebuilt again by monks in XVI-th century (1593). It is painted by Pimen Zografski Sofiyski in 1596 and there can be seen icons of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Constantine and Elena, the scenes - the New-testament Trinity and the Slaughter of the Infants.
In the beginning of the XX-th century it was a nunnery and there were 40 nuns in it. Today there are no monks but it is open with limited access for visits.
Kurilo monastery St. Ivan Rilski was declared a monument of the culture.
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