CAVE MONASTERY OF BASARBOVO

In Bulgarian script, it is the Скален манастир "Св. Димитрий Басарбовски". Eleven kilometers from Russe, within the Rusenski Lom Park, you will find the Basarbovo Monastery dedicated to St. Demetrios. It is the only rock monastery in Bulgaria that is still active with the presence of Orthodox monks. The entrance opens on a park with a well, greenery and flowerbeds (in the good season, of course). In the cliff that rises in front of you, narrow steps are carved to reach the troglodyte church embedded in the rock. Documents attest to the existence of this monastery as early as the XVᵉ century, but it is assumed to be earlier, likely from the XIIᵉ century. A second staircase cut into the rock leads to the crypt, which occupies a cave where the monk Hrisant, who had himself dug this cavity in a hundred days of hard work, is buried. From the top, you can enjoy a superb view of the surrounding countryside. This very particular mineral environment is characterized by the presence of about 300 rock cavities. Among them, about forty were once churches. The visit is really worth the detour, because this monastery testifies of a monastic life and reserves a really different atmosphere from the "traditional" monasteries. You will certainly not regret this rare and always animated discovery, within the limits of monastic respect. For this visit, half an hour can be enough, but plan more for the meditation.