Ruen Monastery

Home Comments BulDir.com - The Bulgarian Travel Directory Properties in Bulgaria

Join our Monastery Tours: Bulgaria Monasteries Tour » Rila Monastery Tour » Troyan Monastery Tour » UNESCO Sites

Popular Name	Ruen Monastery
Orthodox Name	Saint John of Rila
Region	Sofia
Location
The Ruen monastery, “St John of Rila”, is situated in a beatiful place close to the town of Boboshevo which lies about 8km away off the main road connection Sofia to the border checkpoint of Kulata. A couple of kilometers further from the town is the village of Skrino, the native place of St. Ivan of Rila, while the moneastery is up in the mountain above the village.

History and general info
The Ruen monastery is one of the most recently established monasteries in Bulgaria. It was built in 2002 while during our visit, the construction of the monks’ living part was still being finished. The church has an original architecture, nice wall paintings and a beautiful golden altar. While no visitors are allowed into the monastery on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the monks are quite welcoming on the other days of the week. On Sundays and on holidays, guests can take a moment to enjoy the performance of the young monks’ choir. A steep path from the monastery leads up to a cave, believed to have been the first shelter of the hermit John of Rila before he settled in the region of the present-day Rila monastery. Further up the hill one reaches a big cross perking ominously over the edge of a steep rock. Acording to the legend, the cross shows the place, from which a Bulgarian maiden jumped in despair in order to escape from its Ottoman persecutors.
Accommodation and food
The Ruen monastery does not offer food and accommodation. The nearby village is not a tourist destination and hence does not have such facilities either.
Transport
It is not quite easy to reach the Ruen monastery. First, one needs to follow the mainroad from Sofia to Kulata and then take the offroad to Boboshevo. Once in Boboshevo, one needs to follow the signs to Kyustendil in order to reach the village of Skrino (about 5km away from Boboshevo). Finally, the last challenge is the 3km road from Skrino to the monastery, which is dirty and unpaved and can be hardly passed by an ordinary car. In case you do not drive a jeep or a vehicle of the kind, we recommend that you walk on foot from the village to the monastery - it takes about 30min.

Printer friendly version of this text

Pictures of Bulgaria
User contributed pictures and photos from Bulgaria's most exciting places.

Bulgarian Sea Resorts - the Black Sea coast guide
Accommodation, places of interest, visitor comments.

Golden Sands Sunny Beach Sozopol Albena Nessebar Primorsko
Burgas Varna

Visitor ratings - 34 vote(s):
Architectural and historical value: 9.56 / 10
Tourist facilities: 7.97 / 10
Location and landscape: 9.82 / 10
Our presentation: 8.59 / 10

Rate this monastery

Comments for Ruen Monastery

Post new comment

Published by BILL & CAROL. on 03 Mar 2008, 06:42
IP address:
Subject: UPDATED SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST.....RECOVERY FROM THE LOSS OF OUR ONLY SON AND OTHER ONGOING SORROWS!

March.2,2008.

Dear Community of Prayer,

Thank you for praying for us in our long dark night of the soul. Darkness at times that goes beyond words ..only pain and sorrow!! PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR US Daily for the long term...March,April,May..2008,2009...or as long as possible?? PLEASE PRAY for God's Healing Peace and Hope in our broken hearts,health and shattered lives!! PLEASE IF POSSIBLE?? Can you help us by passing or E-mailing Our Urgent Prayer Request On: Convents,Monasteries,Parishes,Abbeys,Houses of Prayer and Others you know of in the WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY OF PRAYER...WWW....Who can pray for us daily for the long term?? 2008,2009..?? THE LOSS OF OUR ONLY SON WAS THE FINAL BLOW IN OUR ALREADY BROKEN AND CRUSHED LIVES BY OTHER SORROWS OVER THE YEARS!!! PLEASE PRAY AND PASS ON...WWW....WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY OF PRAYER??? Thank you for Your Patience and Daily Prayer Support in our long dark night of the soul. Bill & Carol, ohio.usa.

Photo gallery

Ruen Monastery - the complex

Ruen Monastery - the church

Ruen Monastery - the church outside

Ruen Monastery - the church entrance

Ruen Monastery - view FROM the monastery

Ruen Monastery - view FROM road to the monastery

Aidemir Monastery	Aladzha Monastery	Alexandria Monastery	Arapovski Monastery
Arbanasi Monastery	Bachkovo Monastery	Bakadzhik Monastery	Balgarevo Monastery
Basarbovo Monastery	Batoshevo Monastery	Belashtitsa Monastery	Bilintsi Monastery
Bistritza Monastery	Botevgrad (Zelin) Monastery	Buhovo Monastery	Chekotinski Monastery
Chepintsi Monastery	Cherepish Monastery	Chiprovtsi Monastery	Chirpan Monastery
Debrashtitsa Monastery	Divotino Monastery	Dragalevtsi Monastery	Dryanovo Monastery
Eleshnitsa Monastery	Etropole Monastery	German Monastery	Gigintsi Monastery
Glozhene Monastery	Godech Monastery	Golyamo Bukovo Monastery	Gorna Banya Monastery
Gorna Breznitsa monastery	Gorni Bogrov Monastery	Gorni Voden Monastery	Gorno Ezerovo Monastery
Gradeshnitsa Monastery	Ilientsi Monastery	Ivanovo Monastery	Kabile Monastery
Kalofer Monastery (brotherhood)	Kalofer Monastery (nunnery)	Kamentsi Monastery	Kapinovo Monastery
Karanvarbovski Monastery	Kardzhali Monastery	Kazanlak Monastery	Kilifarevo Monastery
Kladnitsa Monastery	Klisura Monastery	Klisura Monastery St. Petka	Kokalyane Monastery
Koprivets Monastery	Kremikovtsi Monastery	Kuklen Monastery	Lopushanski Monastery
Lozen Monastery	Maglizh Monastery	Merdanya Monastery	Novo Selo Monastery
Obradovski Monastery	Odranitsa Monastery	Osenovlak Monastery	Pancharevo Monastery
Pasarel Monastery	Patriarch Monastery	Petropavlovski Monastery	Plakovo Monastery
Pomorie Monastery	Pravetz Monastery	Resilovo Monastery	Rila Monastery
Rozhen Monastery	Ruen Monastery	Samokov Monastery	Seslavtsi Monastery
Shipka Monastery	Shuma Monastery	Skravena Monastery	Sokolski Monastery
Sopot Convent	Sopot Monastery	Svishtov Monastery	Syanovo Monastery
Transfiguration Monastery	Troyan Monastery	Turzhishki (Strupetski) Monastery	Varna Monastery
Vladaya Monastery	Vrachesh Monastery	Zelenikovets Monastery	Zemen Monastery


© 2004, www.bulgarianmonastery.com. Home \| Copyright information \| Advertise \| Contacts \| Bulgaria Resources \| Zone Bulgaria