Ruen Monastery, a Modern Cloister on a Saint's Ancient Ground
Ruen Monastery of St John of Rila stands above the village of Skrino, near Boboshevo in Kyustendil Province, in the birthplace area of the saint who founded Rila Monastery. It is one of the newest monasteries in Bulgaria, built on the ruins of earlier churches, and a path from it leads to the cave where John of Rila first lived as a hermit.
Bulgaria's best-loved saint began his hermit life in a cave above the village of Skrino. In 1995 the foundation stone of a new monastery was laid there, on the foundations of two medieval churches.
The history of Ruen Monastery
The monastery is named after Saint John of Rila, or Ivan Rilski (876 to 946), the most famous Bulgarian saint, patron of the Bulgarian people and founder of Rila Monastery. He lived under Prince Boris I, Tsar Simeon I the Great and Tsar Peter I, during the First Bulgarian Empire, and he was born in the village of Skrino, below the site. According to the Life of the saint written by Euthymius of Tarnovo, the young man entered a monastery 'under Ruen' as a novice. He then withdrew as a hermit to a cave nearby, and after he was driven out he moved to the Rila valley.
The idea of a new church came in the early 1990s, and donations from Bulgaria and abroad made the project possible. During excavation work builders found the foundations of two medieval churches, and objects that archaeologists of the Institute for Cultural Monuments dated to the eighth and ninth centuries. It is therefore thought that this was the complex Euthymius called a monastery under Ruen. A different view in an Ottoman tax register of 1570 to 1573 calls it the monastery of the Holy Father. Beneath the church foundations was another layer, with traces of a pre-Christian cult place, but lack of funds meant detailed excavation could not go on, and the finds were sealed to protect them from looters.
The foundation stone of the new church was laid on 20 August 1995. It was finished in 1998 and provisionally consecrated, and its final consecration followed on 19 November 2003. Work on the monks' quarters began in 1999 and the first part was complete by 2001. Further wings were added between 2003 and 2005, and the last wing in 2006. From 2010 to 2012 the church gained its freestanding bell tower, which completed the ensemble. A chapel of the Virgin Mary was built beside the gate in 2014, and two more chapels, of All Saints and of John the Baptist, stand outside the walls.
The brotherhood runs a publishing house for religious literature. On 19 October 2005 it launched Sion, described as the first Orthodox internet radio in Bulgaria and the first church radio there, and since 2006 it has offered a 24-hour programme. The monastery is a working religious community, and on Sundays and holidays visitors can hear the monks' choir during the liturgy.
Curious facts about Ruen Monastery
- The monastery is among the newest in Bulgaria, yet it stands on foundations of two medieval churches with finds from the eighth and ninth centuries.
- Below the churches archaeologists found a still older layer with the remains of a pre-Christian cult place, which was sealed to protect it from looters.
- St John of Rila is said to have started as a novice in a monastery under Ruen, and a cave near the monastery is traditionally where he first lived as a hermit.
- After he was driven from that cave he settled in another one in the Rila valley, and both caves are important places of pilgrimage.
- The monks launched Sion on 19 October 2005, described as the first Orthodox internet radio in Bulgaria.
- The name comes from the mountain Boboshevski Ruen, on whose northern slope the monastery stands.
Tours near Ruen Monastery
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Ruen Monastery: what to expect
- The courtyard is a stretched polygon enclosed by residential and service buildings of no more than two storeys with bay windows, and the church stands in its centre.
- The church is a single-nave building with an apse, a flat dome on a drum and rubble stone walls; the interior is white, with an iconostasis and icons made by Bulgarian artists.
- A path leads from the monastery to the cave in which St John of Rila first lived as a hermit; it is one of the main pilgrimage spots here.
- The monastery can be reached by an asphalt road. It is a working religious community, so dress and behave respectfully and check the current opening hours before you go.
- Boboshevo Monastery is about 3 km away and Kadin Most, a historic bridge, about 12 km.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Ruen Monastery is
Photos of Ruen Monastery
Questions
What is Ruen Monastery?
Ruen Monastery of St John of Rila is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery near the village of Skrino, municipality of Boboshevo, in Kyustendil Province. It is part of the Sofia eparchy.
When was Ruen Monastery built?
The new monastery was built on medieval ruins between 1995 and 2012: the foundation stone was laid in 1995 and the bell tower was finished in 2012. It is one of the newest in Bulgaria.
Why is it called Ruen Monastery?
It is named after the mountain Boboshevski Ruen, on whose slope it stands, and is dedicated to St John of Rila, who was born in nearby Skrino.
Who was St John of Rila?
He lived from 876 to 946 and is the most famous Bulgarian saint, patron of the Bulgarian people and founder of Rila Monastery.
Can you see the cave of St John of Rila at Ruen Monastery?
Yes, a path leads from the monastery to the cave where the saint is said to have first lived as a hermit.
What else is worth seeing near Ruen Monastery?
Boboshevo Monastery is about 3 km away and the historic Kadin Most bridge about 12 km. Zemen Monastery is roughly 37 km from here.
Also nearby
Boboshevo Monastery
Boboshevo · a small church inside, painted from floor to vault
3 km away
Kadin Most
Nevestino · granite bridge of 1470 and a legend of a bride
12 km away
Zemen Monastery
Zemen · 11th-century church with rare medieval frescoes
37 km away
Dragalevtsi Monastery
Sofia · tsar's monastery with 15th-century frescoes
57 km away