Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo

A complex of churches, chapels and cells was cut into the limestone cliffs of the Rusenski Lom valley from the 1220s, when a monastic community established itself here under royal patronage, and about forty chambers survive at various levels along several kilometres. The one open to visitors is the Church of the Holy Virgin, whose wall paintings of the fourteenth century are the reason for the World Heritage inscription: they are among the best surviving examples of Palaeologan painting in the Balkans, with a naturalism, movement and modelling of figures that mark a break from earlier convention, and they include a portrait of the tsar Ivan Alexander who funded the work. The chapel is reached by a stair up the cliff from the valley road.

What you actually see

• Fourteenth-century Palaeologan painting - among the best surviving in the Balkans.
• The portrait of Ivan Alexander - the patron shown in the scheme.
• Chambers cut along the cliff - about forty at various levels in the valley.
• The stair up the rock - the approach to the painted church.

When to go

April to October; winter opening is limited and the site closes on some days. Two hours including the walk and stair. Photography inside is restricted to protect the paintings.

Honest expectations

Only one chapel is open; the rest of the complex is closed and seen from the valley. The stair is steep. Photography is restricted or banned inside. Opening days vary and it is worth checking before travelling.

Nearby

Basarbovo monastery is downstream; Cherven fortress lies up the valley.