Basarbovo Rock Monastery

Basarbovo is cut into a limestone cliff above the Rusenski Lom river south of Ruse, first recorded in the fifteenth century, and it is the only rock-hewn monastery in Bulgaria still functioning as one, with a resident monk and a working church. The chambers are reached by a stair up the cliff face and include the church, cells, a small museum and a terrace looking over the valley. It is associated with Saint Dimitar Basarbovski, an ascetic who lived here in the seventeenth century and whose relics were later taken to Bucharest, and pilgrims come for that connection. A spring at the foot of the cliff is used for its water. The valley below is part of the Rusenski Lom nature park with more rock-cut sites.

What you actually see

• A working rock-cut monastery - the only one still in use in Bulgaria.
• The cliff stair and terrace - the approach and the valley view.
• The Saint Dimitar association - the ascetic who lived in the rock.
• The spring below the cliff - water used by visitors and pilgrims.

When to go

April to October; open year round. One to two hours. Feast days bring pilgrims. Modest dress is expected. The stair up the cliff is steep.

Honest expectations

It is small and an hour covers it. The stair is steep with a drop. It is a working monastery and behaviour should follow that. Interpretation is limited and in Bulgarian.

Nearby

Ivanovo rock churches are up the valley; Ruse lies north on the Danube.