Rila Monastery stands in the Rila Mountains at 3,763 feet (1,147 m). Tradition credits the hermit Saint Ivan of Rila, who lived from 876 to 946, and the feudal lord Hrelja rebuilt it on its present site in the first half of the 14th century. Hrelja's Tower dates to 1334 and 1335.
A fire destroyed the monastery in 1833. It was rebuilt from 1834 to 1862 under the architect Alexi Rilets. Pavel Ioanov worked on the main church from 1834 to 1837. It has five domes, three altars and a gold-plated, wood-carved iconostasis. Masters including the brothers Zahari Zograf and Dimitar Zograf finished the frescoes in 1846.
The article calls the complex one of the foremost masterpieces of Bulgarian National Revival architecture. The residential part has four stories and 300 chambers, and its high stone walls resemble a fortress. UNESCO listed the monastery in 1983.
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