The five centuries-old history of the Basarbovo Rock Monastery makes this sacred site a true guardian of the faith, preserving the Christian virtues to this day ...

The Monastery of Saint Dimitar Basarbovski is a place you shouldn't miss visiting if you are in the area. It is 12km away from Ruse in the suburbs of Basarbovo village. It was built in the rocks at the bank of the Cherni Lom river. It is the only working rock-hewn monastery in Bulgaria. When I visited it for the first time I thought: "I live so close and I've never been here. Impossible!" The little church high in the rocks, the beautifully arranged yard with the well in the middle - everything serves the unique atmosphere of serenity and bliss.

Every holy place has its saint to look after it. The rock-hewn Monastery of Basrbovo is named after Dimitar Basrbovsky - a monk that lived in the rocks an exemplary life of virtue and righteousness. Paisius of Hilendris mentions his name in his Slavonic- Bulgarian History. According to Paisius, the man had a simple life. He built a shed on the river bank. Had some sheep and pastured them. With his life of service to God, he pleased the Father and his name was made famous for that. After his death, his relics were brought to Basarbovo and helped people who believed in their healing powers. Different legends tell us about people who dared to steal the relics away was overtaken by unpleasant happenings and nobody managed to steal them away from where they belonged. 

Unfortunately, in 1774, no mysterious forces stopped the Russian general Petar Saltikov from taking the relics to Bucurest, where they are still kept today.  In 2005, the Romanian patriarch Teoktist presents an icon to the Monastery which had some of the relic built in it.

Nowadays, the Monastery is taken excellent care for and everything about it shows there are good people who believe in its holiness that look after it now.