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Medieval Bulgaria has left numerous monasteries and churches. Some of the most visited are: the Rila Monastery, the Bachkovo Monastery, the Rozhen Monastery, the Troyan Monastery, the Zemen Monastery, the Preobrazhenski (Transfiguration) Monastery, and the Aladja Monastery. Also arousing big interest are the hundreds of churches which have preserved unique samples of the Bulgarian iconogra
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| Pirin Mountain monasteries |
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Pirin Mountain is the second highest mountain in Bulgaria. Its highest Vihren Peak is 2914 m high. At the same time it is the wildest range. The heart of the massif consists of 45 peaks all of which are over 2 590 metres high. They are snow – capped most of the year and subject to such powerful winds and violent storms that the Slavs were convinced that this was the abode of the Thunde
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| Rila Mountain monasteries |
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Rila is the highest mountain in Bulgaria and on the Balkans. The relief is of alpine type, with stone ridges, towering peaks, deep precipices and numerous crystal-clear lakes (more than 140) and springs. The name of the mountain is thought to originate from a Thracian word signifying "rich in water". Three of the largest Bulgarian rivers spring from the mountain – the Maritsa, the Iskar and the Me
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| Vitosha Mountain monasteries |
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The dome shaped massif of Mount Vitosha rises majestically approximately in the middle of South-Western Bulgaria. Its foothills have been inhabited by 7 000 years. Between the 1st and the 4th centuries A.D. the Romans built numerous fortresses on the mountain, which were later rebuilt and used by Byzantines and Bulgarians. About forty monasteries were built there in the Middle Ages. Only two
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An icon is a painting depicting the image of Christ, the Holy Virgin, the saints or any other religious theme and is particularly worshipped in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Unlike the murals, the icon does not fulfill decorative functions only. It is created as an evidence of God's omnipotence and plays an important role in religious worship as a means of communication between people and G
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| Rhodope Mountain monasteries |
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The Rhodope Mountains have been inhabited since antiquity. Native place of Orpheus, Dionisos, and other mythical deities, the mountain is still shrouded in mystery today. The Rhodope Mountains represent a huge labyrinth of ridges that have different lengths and expand in numerous directions, with deep river valleys, vast pastures and hollows. The highest peak is Goliam Perelik at 2191 m. The Karst
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| Stara Planina Mountain monasteries |
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The Stara Planina Mountain range and the Pre-Balkan region are included in the Stara Planina area. Stara Planina (the Balkan Mountains) contains the most well-known and the longest (some 550 km) Bulgarian Mountains, that gave the name to the entire Balkan Peninsula and divides the Bulgarian country into Northern and Southern Bulgaria. The highest peak is Botev, at 2376 m. To the north, the mountai
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| Strandzha Mountain monasteries |
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The interior of the south Bulgarian coast is dominated by the wooded Strandzha, a region of plateaus and hills interrupted by rift valleys, where Ropotamo, Veleka and other rivers flow. It is an extensive range – 270 km long and 90 km wide. Only the north-eastern section lies in Bulgaria. The rest of the mountain lies in Turkey.
The mountain is not very high but the scenery is magnificent. The
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