Our final afternoon in Bulgaria we took a short drive about 10 miles outside of Ruse to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo.
Monks and hermits cut churches and cells into the rock alongside the Rusenski Lom river during the 12th century. It takes a short but steep walk to reach them.
The site is especially prized for its excellently preserved murals, originally painted in the 14th century.
According to the UNESCO World Heritage web site, "the frescoes represent a departure from the canons of Byzantine iconography. They show close ties with expressive Hellenistic art and a clear preference for the nude, the landscape, an architectural background in a composition, drama, an emotional atmosphere -- qualities which combine to make an exceptional masterpiece of the Tarnovo school of painting and monumental art."
I'm not enough of an art historian to appreciate the insight provided by the good folks with UNESCO. But I am always impressed by the lengths people go to demonstrate their devotion to God.
The group of mountains where the churches are located has "serious stability problems." A partial collapse in the early 20th century buried one of the churches, and the murals inside had to be rescued and moved.
At its peak, the monastery complex is believed to have had around 40 churches. Frescoes like these have been preserved in only five.
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