site.btaVisitors to Rila Monastery Increase

Rila Monastery, August 9 (BTA) - The number of visitors to the Rila Monastery has increased compared to previous years, the curator of the museum with the monastery, Zhivka Mantarkova, said. In the summer season visitors reach about 10,000 people. Around 50 per cent of them are foreigners.

There is a newly opened jewels hall with buckles, bracelets, necklaces and rings displayed in it. All accessories, being a traditional part of the costumes of the Bulgarian women, have been donated to the Rila Monastery in the course of the past years. One of the most famous donations is Raphail's cross, made by a local monk. The displayed jewels date back mostly to the 18th and 19th centuries and represent different regions.

The monastery is preparing for one of its biggest holidays, Assumption of St. John of Rila, marked on August 18. By tradition, there is vigilance in the night before the holiday and many visitors are expected on this occasion.