루세 지역‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪5‬개의 천연기념물

The entire circular trail is very easy to walk. It has been cleared and is very well signposted.

GERMAN Church: We are in the Church of St. Mary. It was part of the rock monastery of St. Michael the Archangel, which operated during the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1220 to around 1450. The church was carved into the rock and was painted around 1360. The entrance was where the balcony is today. The opening through which we now enter was drilled in 1936 by French scientists who were researching the wall paintings. To the left of the original entrance are depicted Tsar/King Ivan-Aleksander and his second wife, Tsaritsa/Queen Theodora, who donated funds for the carving and painting of the church. They are holding the rock in which the church is located and presenting it to St. Mary. This has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. In the 1980s, the rock was impregnated to prevent moisture from seeping in and damaging the frescoes. The wall paintings themselves are coated with a special varnish that protects them from negative effects. Chapel: This is the chapel of Saint Gerasim Yordanski. According to legend, he healed a lion's paw. In gratitude, the lion allowed Saint Gerasim to ride it. On the west side of the chapel, the saint is depicted riding the lion among a group of worshipers on the way to Jerusalem.

In addition to the views, there are also some explanatory panels about the monasteries and nature along the route, also in English.

The pictures in the cave have been preserved. Not restored, meaning not recreated with paint. You can see the originals. The Last Supper fresco is around 200 years older than the more famous Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Please do not use flashlights in the cave. The frescoes are intended to remain preserved for many hundreds of years.

It is the path to the Ivanovo Rock Church. It offers interesting views of the valley time and time again. The circular path is about 1km long (one-way street). It goes up a little more level and then down a steep staircase.

A path about 500m long leads to this rock church. The monks lived in the surrounding natural caves and converted this place into a chapel. There are impressive paintings on the walls and on the way to the church there are always interesting views of the valley and other rock grottos. The way back goes down a steep staircase to the car park and a small souvenir stand.

Nice view into the cave but the door in front was closed, so there was no way in. Mind your step as the wooden bridges are old and some planks move or already broke!!

The path from the parking in front of the Ivanowo stone churches is easy and even. The caves are high, wide, contain stairs and two sacred little places. It is very cool to visit if you start from Ivanowo - I do not recommend going further than the next small stone church on this path!!! After this the path is lost - nature reclaimed it.