Rozhen Monastery

About this place

Rozhen Monastery is a small, quiet monastery among the hills of the Pirin Mountains, its cobbled courtyard ringed by white stone buildings with long wooden balconies hung with grapevines, surrounded by the carved sand hills known as the Melnik Pyramids. It is the largest monastery in the Pirin Mountains and one of the few medieval Bulgarian monasteries preserved in good condition. The earliest traces of life here date from the 13th century, and the earliest written mention from 1551. Its church was built before the 15th century and painted in 1597, and some of those paintings survive on the outer walls of its porch. You pass through the gate into the courtyard, walk under the wooden galleries and vines, and see the church from outside. Many visitors walk a lovely trail through the sand hills from Melnik to the monastery in about an hour. It is about 3 km in a straight line east of Melnik. Dress modestly and keep quiet, as it is still a working monastery.