Hemmed in by the verdant spruce and fir forests of the Rila Mountains in the very heartland of south-western Bulgaria, this exquisite piece of pre-Ottoman architecture represents one of the country’s most striking and definitive of national symbols. Built to honour the teachings of St Ivan of Rila sometime in the 10^th century, the Rila Monastery now bears a UNESCO title for its central importance to the enduring religious identity of the Bulgarian state and the continuation of the Eastern Orthodox faith through the tumult of Ottoman imperialism in the region. For many visitors however, the complex is simply an aesthetic wonder to behold; rising fortress like from between misty peaks in a cacophony of medieval frescos and reconstructed 15^th century architecture. Guests today are invited to follow their Rila Monastery tour guide through the various wings of the complex, weaving between the arched cloisters in the courtyard, the looming Hrelyo’s Tower and the exquisite Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, where walls of whittled iconostasis peer down mysteriously from above.