Church of the Nativity, Arbanasi I thought Rila Monastery near Sofia, Bulgaria was amazing! Until I saw the Christian Orthodox Church of the Nativity in Arbanasi, three hours by car north of Sofia. Nothing about this stone church hints at the treasure within. Walls with vaulted ceilings are covered in frescoes of biblical scenes which date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. (By contrast, the frescoes at Rila Monastery are from the mid 19th century.) The Nativity Church frescoes were cleaned of soot during its restoration in the 1970s. I saw some taped sections of the murals where the walls are cracked. Overall, these frescoes are well preserved after centuries of existence. The original church was constructed and completed in 1597. It had one main section that is the naos which was designated as the men’s gallery. When the church was expanded in the 1620s, they added the narthex which became the women’s gallery and a chapel dedicated to St. John the Forerunner. The chapel is lin...
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener