Top 10 Religious Sites: The Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

 

The Rila Monastery (officially the Holy Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila) is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox Church in Bulgaria

As I begin reflecting on and selecting my top 10 religious sites, I’ve been hesitant to fill up the list too quickly. These are exactly the types of places I love to explore, and I have many more trips planned. I wanted to wait and see what this recent journey would bring, and I’m so glad I did.

Nestled high in the mountains, the monastery is surrounded by massive, vibrant evergreens with a cool, refreshing mountain air. Beyond its setting, it remains an active, living place of worship. Visiting it felt truly magical, and its beauty completely overwhelmed me.

The central church inside the monastery complex is perhaps the finest example I saw of traditional Eastern Orthodox adornment. Rather than keeping holy imagery strictly indoors, Orthodox tradition covers the exterior walls with elaborate frescoes, mosaics, and icons. The idea behind this architecture is beautiful: passersby and worshippers can read the story of the Bible—including the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—right on the outside of the building. Hundreds of years ago, before widespread literacy, anyone walking by could receive the message without even stepping inside. I can only imagine how awe-inspiring that sight must have been to travelers centuries ago. While this monastery is one of the grandest examples, nearly every one of the 20 or so Orthodox churches we visited incorporated this same philosophy on its exterior.

I also learned a lot about Eastern Orthodox tradition during our visits. Orthodox services are typically conducted standing up, so most sanctuary spaces are kept open in the center without pews. Services usually last around 45 minutes, and congregants are expected to stand throughout. For those who need support, there are wooden stalls along the side walls featuring high arm and shoulder rests to lean against, with flip-down seats as a last resort if standing becomes too difficult. Reflecting on this compared to our own traditions offers a fascinating contrast in worship practices.

Saint Ivan of Rila holds deep significance as the primary patron saint of Bulgaria—so much so that his image is featured on Bulgarian euro coins. I hope you enjoy the photos of Saint Rila’s Monastery and church below!

Background Information (Google AI)

• Location: Deep in the Rilska River valley in the southwestern Rila Mountains, about 117 km (73 miles) south of Sofia at an elevation of 1,147 meters (3,763 feet). 
• Founded: In the 10th century (around 927 AD) by the hermit Saint Ivan of Rila (876–946 AD), whose relics are preserved inside.
• Designations: Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. 
• Architecture: A fortress-like 8,800-square-meter complex featuring black-and-white striped exterior loggias, 300 chambers, and the central Cathedral of the Nativity of the Holy Mother (Birth of the Virgin Mary). 
• History: The original 10th-century buildings were largely destroyed by a fire in the early 19th century and rebuilt between 1834 and 1862 during the Bulgarian National Revival. 
• Oldest Surviving Structure: Hrelyo’s Tower, a 23-to-24-meter-high stone tower built in 1335 that features a top-level chapel and medieval frescoes. 
• Major Highlights:
  • Vibrant floor-to-ceiling interior and exterior frescoes painted by Zahari and Dimitar Zograf.
  • Rafail’s Cross, a wooden crucifix carved with 104 religious scenes and 650 miniature figures over a 12-year period.
  • St. Ivan's Cave, located a short 4-kilometer hike away where the saint originally lived as a hermit. 

Quote:

"Monastic life thus became a living protest against the secularization of Christianity, against the cheapening of grace."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer: 

Top 10 Religious Sites: Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Família - Barcelona, Spain

After the cross was placed on top in the Spring of 2026. photo not taken by me. 

Disclaimer: As I continue this series, I understand that many or most of you will not be able to see all of these.  I just want to make sure you understand that if you have the opportunity by visiting near any of these sites, they are must-see places to visit.  I also want to add that I am focusing on international sites for this list.  Since there is a long and rich history of religion in Europe, the list will predominately focus there.  I have also been to the Holy Land in my early travels and almost all of those places would be on this list.  This list focuses on travel since 2010.  

I was able to visit Barcelona a couple of years ago when visiting former exchange student, Mario, who lives in Madrid.  We took a train to Barcelona and stayed a couple of days.  One the main reasons that I had wanted to go to Barcelona was to visit this famous church.  I was intrigued by its long construction history, its design by artist Gaudi, and the dimensions.  I had also heard about its amazing interior.  

Travel Tip:  Do not go to Barcelona and not go inside of the Sagrada Familia.  Although impressive on the outside - especially now with its cross on the top spier, the interior is why it makes my list - utterly breathtaking.  

Here is some general information about the Sagrada Familia and then the amazing photos that I took on my visit below.  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sagrada Família, is a Catholic church under construction in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, it is the tallest church in the world. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a basilica.^[5][6][7] Parts of the Sagrada Família (Nativity façade and Crypt) were declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, under "Works of Antoni Gaudí".^[8]

On 19 March 1882, construction of Sagrada Família began under the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned,^[8] Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the church's crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.^[9]

Relying solely on private donations, Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, anarchists from the Iberian Anarchist Federation (Federación Anarquista Ibérica, or FAI) set fire to the crypt and broke their way into the workshop, partially destroying Gaudí's original plans.^[10] In 1939, Francesc de Paula Quintana took over site management, which was able to go on with the material that was saved from Gaudí's workshop and that was reconstructed from published plans and photographs.^[11] Construction resumed with intermittent progress in the 1950s. Advancements in technologies such as computer-aided design and computerised numerical control (CNC) have since enabled faster progress, and construction passed the midpoint in 2010. In 2014, it was anticipated that the building would be completed by 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death,^[12] but this schedule was threatened by work slowdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[13]

The central Tower of Jesus Christ reached structural completion on 20 February 2026, when the final piece was installed,^[14][15] and it was inaugurated and blessed by Pope Leo XIV on 10 June 2026 during his visit to Spain, coinciding with the centenary of Gaudí's death.^[16] The tower, with a height of 172.5 m (566 ft), makes the Sagrada Família the world's tallest church.

Describing Sagrada Família, the art critic Rainer Zerbst said "it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art",^[17] and Paul Goldberger describes it as "the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages".^[18]

Some of my photos from the outside:

We were able to go up to the top of one of the spires.  Here are some pictures of the views and details of the outside of the building up close.  

And now, the interior - otherworldly - heavenly! 

 

Quotes from Antonio Gaudi about Sagrada Familia:

My client is not in a hurry. (referring to God)

The creation continues incessantly through the media of man. But man does not create... he discovers.

Nothing is art if it does not come from nature.

Nothing is invented, for it's written in nature first.

Top 10 Religious Sites: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

One of the main reasons for my recent trip to Istanbul was to visit this place.  I really didn't know much about it before visiting and soon learned that it is one of the most important religious sites in the world.  

Below is information about what makes this building so special.  

Google AI Overview

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, is a world-famous architectural masterpiece. Completed in 537 AD as a Byzantine Christian cathedral, it became an Ottoman mosque in 1453, a museum in 1935, and was reconverted into an active grand mosque in 2020. 

History

Built by Emperor Justinian I between 532 and 537 AD.
Served as the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years.
Converted to a mosque by Sultan Mehmed II after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Changed to a secular museum by Turkey's first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in 1935.
Reopened for Muslim prayers and designated a mosque again in 2020.  

Hagia Sophia in the News

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/turkeys-president-formally-makes-hagia-sophia-a-mosque

You could say the outside is a little underwhelming; however, when you go inside you are immediately in awe.  You will notice in many cases that some of the mosaics had to be recovered.  After becoming a mosque after the fall of Constantinople (Istanbul), many of the mosaics were plastered over.  

Note:  In Islam, viewing and creating images depends on the subject and purpose. Depictions of God (Allah) and all prophets—including Prophet Muhammad—are strictly prohibited to prevent idolatry.

Below you will also see where some were covered up in order to not be viewed from the worship area below.  Remember is was still a museum until just a few years ago.  Now, the second floor is still considered a museum.  You are not allowed on the bottom floor, except for worship.  

      

A famous inscription by a Viking Visitor.  

The hidden faces of Icons.  The Muslims worshipping below are not allowed to be in the presence of images other than Allah. 

The oldest mosaic in the church and the most detailed with the smallest mosaic squares.  

The back door. 

 (Kievan Rus' emissaries describing their visit to the cathedral in 987): 

"We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth... for on earth there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We only know that God dwells there among men."