Ivan of Rila was a hermit who, in the tenth century, withdrew into the forests of the Rila mountains to live in a cave and a hollow tree, and the monastery that grew up around his grave became the spiritual heart of Bulgaria. Rila Monastery sits in a valley at about 1,150 metres, surrounded by steep forested slopes, and the Rilska river runs beside it. The buildings you see today date mostly from the nineteenth century, after a great fire in 1833 destroyed the older ones, but within the courtyard stands a medieval tower, Hrelyo's Tower, from 1335, and the main church is covered in vivid murals.
The monastery was a centre of Bulgarian language and culture during the long centuries of Ottoman rule, when the monks kept the written language alive, copied manuscripts and taught children to read. This is why Bulgarians treat it with such reverence. The courtyard, with its striped arcades and wooden galleries, is a beautiful sight, and the church's exterior frescoes depict devils, saints and the Last Judgement in vigorous detail. Pilgrims light candles and kiss icons, and visitors should dress modestly. Leave the bike in the car park and walk in.
The ride up from the Struma valley is the highlight. The road runs through gorges and forests, with plenty of bends and an assortment of rough patches, and it climbs steadily to the monastery. Further on, the high Rila mountains offer the glacial lakes and the peak of Musala, at 2,925 metres the highest in the Balkans. Near Sapareva Banya, a spa town on the way, a geyser of steaming water, the hottest in Europe, shoots from the ground. In summer, the monastery car park fills with coaches, and early morning is the best time to come.
Fuel can be bought at Rila village, a few kilometres away, and Dupnitsa, a bigger town to the north, has everything. Near the monastery, bakers sell mekitsi, fried dough with honey or jam, and the fresh trout from the river is excellent. Roads are open year-round, though snow can close the higher parts in winter, so check conditions. Late spring and September are quieter, and the autumn colours on the slopes are glorious.