Basarbovo Rock Monastery

WORKING HOURS:

from October to March:
08:00–17:00

from April to September:
08:00–19:00

CONTACTS:

Village of Basarbovo
Phone: 0879 223 725
For contact with the monastery – mobile: 0889 155 293 and 0877 353 019

TO THE VIRTUAL ROOM

HISTORY

The Basarbovo Rock Monastery “St. Dimitar Basarbovski” is located near the village of Basarbovo, about 10 km from Ruse. It was founded in the 13th century during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The monastery is carved into the limestone cliffs above the Rusenski Lom River and is the only functioning rock monastery in Bulgaria today.

Its most famous inhabitant is St. Dimitar Basarbovski — a hermit who lived here in the 17th century. According to tradition, he led a modest and righteous life, slept in a stone sarcophagus, and died in 1685. During the Russo–Turkish War (1768–1774), the Russian army transported his relics to Bucharest. It is believed that they saved the city from a plague epidemic, and they are still preserved today in the patriarchal cathedral.

The monastery was restored in 1937 by Archimandrite Hrisant. Today it is not only a spiritual center but also a tourist and cultural landmark, included in the list of Bulgaria’s 100 National Tourist Sites.

INTERESTING FACTS:

The only functioning rock monastery in Bulgaria. Although Bulgaria has many rock hermitages, Basarbovo is the only one still active — with monks, services, and pilgrims throughout the year.
The monastery’s bell was donated by Romanian pilgrims as a sign of gratitude to St. Dimitar Basarbovski. After his relics were transferred to Bucharest in the 18th century, the saint became the city’s patron. Romanians, who continue to venerate him, visit the monastery often in the 20th and 21st century. As a gesture of appreciation, they donated the bell, which today echoes through the cliffs of the Rusenski Lom valley.
The relics of St. Dimitar Basarbovski are considered protective relics of Bucharest. After being transferred during the Russo–Turkish War in the 18th century, the saint’s relics are believed to be miraculous, as according to tradition they saved the city from a plague epidemic.