Bulgarian Orthodox Church

RILA MONASTERY

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The Hermitage of St. Theodosius

In proximity to the Monastery, about 1.5 km on the pathway to the Old Hermitage, is located the so-called Hermitage of St. Theodosius, dedicated to St. Theodosius of Tyrnovo. The church and the two-storey residential building next to it were built with funds from monk Theodosius of the monastery. However, the building was left unfinished due to the extreme deportation of monks out of the holy place in 1961 at the order of the leaders of the ruling party of the atheist communist regime. The church is built of stone and brick, and in its antechamber there are two distinct additional rooms. Its painting was the handiwork of the russian painter Nikolay Shelehov.