The cloister is 12 km far from Ruse, in the rocks close to the village of Basarbovo. Its origin goes back to the Second Bulgaria Empire (12 th – 14 th c.), althougt the earliest data comes from 16 th century Ottoman tax records. Its most famous inhabitant is St. Dimitar Basarbovski.
The monastery has about 300 rock rooms, 40 of which were churches. Hermit monks resided there until the 15 th century. The monastery was then abandoned. It was restored only in 1937 by the monk Hrisant. Nowadays, steps are hewn into the rocks ans a path winds up to the grave carved into the stone, where the relicts of St. Dimitar Basarbovski used to be.
Visitors can see the rock church, a wooden iconostasis inside, part of the monastery, and the saint's alcove. The church provides an idea of the look of old rock monastries and the cells surrounding them. At the foot of the rocks, there is a well dug by the venerable Father: It's believed that is water has curative properties.