For a Serbian historian, the Rila Monastery is the guardian of Serbian spirituality and culture

The Serbian historian George Bojanic declared the Rila Monastery “a guardian of Serbian history and spirituality” and “a symbol of Serbian Orthodoxy and culture”.

This is stated in a publication on the “Serbian History” website.

“The Rila Monastery has huge connections with Serbian history and is important for us Serbs as an old Serbian center of education, there were many Serbian books and manuscripts in it. A particularly important historical figure is Mara Branković, the daughter of the Serbian despot Djuraj and the Byzantine princess Irina . She was married to Sultan Murat II. Our Serbian knight, warrior and master Hreljo Ohmucevic left a great mark, he was a contemporary of King Stefan Dečanski and Emperor Dušan.

It is said that there are wall paintings in the monastery of Serbian rulers and inscriptions in the Old Serbian language, but they were deliberately painted over and hidden.

I think similar interventions on the frescoes are inadmissible and that this is a falsification of history. Let’s not forget that this monastery is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Bulgarians announce that Khrelio is a Bulgarian nobleman, and this is a falsification of history,” he claims.

“After the Battle of Velbažd in 1330, led by the Serbian general Stefan Dečanski, the Rila Monastery became part of the Serbian state,” Bojanić wrote on his website.

At the foot of Rila Mountain in Bulgaria, at an altitude of 1147 meters, is the Rila Monastery, dedicated to Saint Ivan (John) of Rila. It is about 117 kilometers from Sofia to the monastery, and it takes about an hour and a half to get there on a good road.