Basarbovo Monastery Near Ruse in Bulgaria: A Nice Day Out
After reading a local guide for things to see near Ruse, Basarbovo Monastery jumped out. The pictures were stunning, and it seemed different for a monastery. This is a unique place and the only cave monastery in Bulgaria’s modern history. Our day trip was great, creating some good stories and helping us relearn some life lessons.
About Basarbovo Monastery in Bulgaria
Basarbovo Monastery is also known as the Monastery of Saint Dimitar Basarbowski. This Bulgarian Orthodox monastery is inside a cave, a short trip from Ruse in northern Bulgaria. The monastery shares its name with the nearby village of Basarbovo. It has a great location and overlooks the Rusenski Lom River and lovely countryside. The monastery was founded during the Second Bulgarian Empire. However, the oldest written mention of the site dates to the 15th century in Ottoman tax registers.
The monastery became famous in the 17th century after St Dimitar Basarbovski’s death. St Dimitar Basarbovski was a shepherd and led an ascetic life in the monastery’s rocks. He died in 1685. They buried him in the village church.
However, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774, General Pyotr Saltykov agreed to transfer his relics to Russia. The road to Russia passed through Romania. At that time, that region was suffering from a plague epidemic.
A legend tells that when the saint’s relics entered Bucharest, people stopped dying from the plague. The residents requested the general to leave the saint’s body there. Nowadays, St Dimitar Basarbovski’s relics are in Bucharest in the St Constantine and Elena Church. In 1937, Father Hrisant moved into Basarbovo Monastery and revived it. Each year, the monastery celebrates its patron on 26th October, St. Dimitar’s Day.
The Village of Basarbovo
The village of the same name is a small country village with a nice, pleasant bar, which seemed to serve food. They had no menus; however, they had condiments. Most regulars sat playing cards, and the barman was friendly.
Basarbovo also has a shop, a town hall, and lots of agricultural features and farm machinery. On the walk to the monastery, there is a quarry near the river. It’s not the best of places to visit with a dog. Lots of feral dogs roam around, along with some noisy, aggressive-looking guard dogs. Thankfully, Henry was napping after a long morning walk.
How Not to Get to Basarbovo Monastery From Ruse?
After lots of research, we found there is supposed to be a bus from the bus station in eastern Ruse, which is miles outside town. Apparently, this heads west along Boulevard General Skobelev and stops at each stop. However, a screw-up with the times meant we had to wait at the bus stop for 1.5 hours. So we hailed a taxi and worked out it would cost less than £5 to reach Basarbovo. So off we hopped and took the 15-minute trip to the village.
I signaled the driver to stop at the bus stop so I could find out the timetable. However, the bus stop had no timetable. There was a local bar opposite, so we popped in for a beer and coffee and used it as a launchpad to head back to Ruse and wait for the bus.
However, when we returned to the only open bar in the village, it appeared to close on Monday at midday. Monday probably isn’t the best day to head here. Our solution was a 2-hour walk or to stick out our thumbs and try to hitch a lift, as we had no taxi numbers or reception. Out went our thumbs, and luckily, the third car to pass us was a taxi that drove us back to Ruse. Lesson learned: I should have gone to the Ruse Tourist Information Center before winging it. Or not visited on Monday, so the bar could help with some local knowledge.
Costs & Times
The Monastery of Saint Dimitar Basarbowski is free to visit. However, they have a gift shop, and a donation seemed to be expected for a blessing by a monk in the new church.
Their opening hours were 8 am to 6 pm during our visit. We were the only visitors while there; however, I imagine it gets busy during the warmer months or on St. Dimitar’s Day.
My Visit to Basarbovo Monastery in Bulgaria
From the village, you follow the big brown signs to the monastery. This follows the course of the river Rusenski Lom. Thus, there are pleasant views. You also pass some quarries which are rather industrial and have some very noisy guard dogs.
There are quite a few things to see at the site of the monastery. First up is the gate to the monastic complex, which is rather nice. Beyond this is a shop in a courtyard selling gifts, local produce and religious icons. They also sell candles for people to light. The lady at the shop was friendly, spoke good English, and was helpful.
The courtyard also had wells, some nice flower beds, and some of the monastery’s private sections. This part is great for seeing the whole cave complex on the cliffs from below.
First up was a climb up the cliffs towards the first chapel. It was a steep climb up rock steps. They have a safety rail, and the views as you climb are nice. On the climb, you can see the painted private rooms before you arrive at a platform with religious decor and a few seats.
This was ideal for enjoying the river valley view and catching our breath after the climb.
From here, there is a side chapel which is rather nicely decorated. The artworks and decor here were pleasant, and it was a lovely place to sit and reflect. One noticeable painting was of St George and the Dragon.
From this section of the monastery, you have to descend the steps halfway down the cliffs, then follow the steeper walkway toward the church in the rocks. The walkway was narrow, but the views and results were well worth the climb.
Next up is a platform on the cliffs that leads into a few cave chapels and the old church in the rocks.
It was hard to figure out what each of these caves was on the visit; however, they were fascinating to see and imagine how the monks used to live in them.
The rest of the complex was at ground level, so from here we took the steps and walkway down. It was rather slippery, and I was grateful for the grip on my shoes.
At the bottom of the cliffs were shallow caves, with shrines and storage areas to keep the monastery’s stuff dry. This included some old decorative trailers and a nativity in a rock.
The last building that you can enter is the new church that they built near the cliffs. This is a relatively new place on the site. The interior decor is all new and shiny with lots of vivid religious artwork. Inside, a monk offers a blessing and so wets your head with holy water using some form of leaves. He was a very pleasant guy who spoke great English. We left a donation and went on our merry way after a great day out.
Is Basarbovo Monastery Worth Visiting?
Despite the inconveniences, Basarbovo Monastery was a fantastic place to visit. It’s unique and was rather spiritual. I’d visit again and recommend it to visitors in the area, too. Visiting in the spring or summer months is a great way to see the monastery gardens in full bloom.