rozhen monastery

Had some free time for a day trip to Melnik. Wanted to see this monastery that was said to be a "must do". It was fantastic and I'm glad I went. I wore a sleeveless dress and had to purchase a scarf/shawl to cover my shoulders. Funny now but was fuming at my tour guide that told me my dress was ok when I asked knowing where we were going.

A beautiful view from the mountain. At the moment the road to the monastery is under maintenance and you have to walk by food about 1 km. There is no guide in the monastery to walk you around but there are signs in English and Bulgarian.

When we were there, we havent seen any people there and monks were praying so it was really quiet there. It looked like real monastery that haven't been touched by tourists.

I am over monestaries!But this one is just simply divine ( no pun intended) and a place for contemplation, celebration of spiritual values, respect for the work of monks, deeper understanding of Bulgarian values and enjoyment of artistic excellence. Plus a great starting place a spectacular walk over tricky paths to Melnik.

This was an amazing monastery up in the hills/mountains around Melnik. The history, architecture, and views are absolutely amazing. I would recommend the hike up beyond the monastery as well. The views get even better. There is a picnic table up there under a tree with spectacular views.

If we passing through this region – all the time we find a moment to visit Rozhen Monastery, never mind that the road curves are terrible!The place by itself is so calm and quiet and the view all around it is so good and beautiful! Monastery is very old and his history is so impressive! The garden outside is well maintained and together with the Monastery charm makes you feel so relax. The atmosphere there is incredible …

The drive up the hill is nice, with some great views. The monastery is small but ok, the both combined makes a nice trip.

Rozhen monastery is situated above Rozhen village, a few kilometres beyond Melnik, and has good views to the east and south, taking in the last part of the Melnik canyon landscape. The monastery layout is typical: a two-storey structure (living and working accommodation for the monks) with external wooden landings, enclosing a courtyard, but most of the courtyard occupied by the chapel. The chapel interior is relatively light (some Bulgarian churches can be very dark inside) and there is interesting information in English as well as Bulgarian about the monastery's history. However, the main impression we got was of how calm and peaceful the monastery felt. We sat quietly outside the chapel for a long time and could have stayed there longer. The place had a wonderful feeling and we would be happy to go back.

The monastery dates to the Byzantine period and was once controlled y the Holly Mountain in Athos. The church monastery is literary covered with frescoes. They are interesting speciments of Post-Byzantine painting.

This was a nice old monastery spoiled by the fact of seeing fire extinguishers and other modern contraptions. An interesting visit but a bit awkward walking round the sloping cobbled stones. Not an awful lot to see, but picturesque. Apparently two monks live there and we did see one of them. Probably better suited to teenagers and older people, would not really appeal to youngsters.

A lovely old monastery with remarkable frescoes and a beautiful backyard with arbor. It is a good introduction for someone who has not visited again a Christian Orthodox monastery. It is a ten minutes drive from Melnik village.

Walked from Melnik to the monastery over the hills as sugested in the guide book. Hard work and the signs got a bit lost occasionally but well worth it.

walking road not maintained. Badly indicated.Only by bus or taxi easily reached.If you only want to see the monastery spend your time elsewhere.

we walked to the monastery from Melnik,it was quite a difficult walk for me,but was very rewarding when you get there.You definatley need good boots/water/sunhat.Very strenuous almost all uphill for almost 2 hours!!!

Consiglio una visita. Il monastero è molto bello e suggestivo. Molto bella anche la chiesa. Peccato per gli affreschi esterni un pò rovinati.