Summary

Joining this tour you will enjoy full immersion in the Bulgarian religious beliefs and connect with the spirit of the Bulgarian Orthodoxy, who was of prime importance for the Christianity on the whole Eastern European world along with the Cyrillic alphabet (designed especially for the purposes of the Christianization!).

During the tour we are going to admire the three greatest Bulgarian monasteries, became familiar with the Thracian and Roman civilizations and the presence of Islam on the Balkans and have some spectacular hikes in the Southeastern Europe’s highest mountain range – Rila, and through the Rodopi Mts (birthplace of legendary Orpheus) and the Central Balkan Mountain chain. The rest of the tour is about traditional food, local cultures, Rose oil tradition and a mosaic of ways of life!

Tour highlights

•  Pilgrimage path from Dragalevtsi monastery to Boyana church (1259, UNESCO)

•  Pilgrimage path via the Rila’s Seven Lake circus to Rila Orthodox Sanctuary (UNESCO)

•  Hiking to Dobarsko church (exceptional murals) 

•  Hiking the old mule’s path to Kovachevitsa village. National architectural heritage

•  The scenic Rodopi villages of Yagodina and Trigrad and Kosovo

•  Overnights in the three most important monasteries – Rila (14th), Batchkovo (11th) and Troyan (17th)

•  Guided visits in Sofia and Plovdiv (European capital of culture 2019) 

Important Links

History - Bulgarian Orthodox Church (bg-patriarshia.bg)

Йоан Кукузел Ангелогласният - Радуйся Всечистая (Валасий) - YouTube

Additional Information

Each year on September 14, our Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. This important event in the liturgical life of the Church reminds us of the continuous presence of Christ in our midst.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14) - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (goarch.org)

October 19, we celebrate St. John (Ivan) of Rila the most famous Bulgarian saint.

This is also ST JOHN'S DAY Saint John's Eve - Wikipedia