Founded in the first half of the 13th century, the rock chapels near the village of Ivanovo constitute a remarkable Eastern Orthodox Hesychastic monastic complex. This sect of Eastern Orthodoxy, dedicated to religious seclusion, developed a complex that includes churches, chapels, and monastic cells all set into the caves of cliffs cut by the river Roussenski Lom. (...)
Founded in the first half of the 13th century, the rock chapels near the village of Ivanovo constitute a remarkable Eastern Orthodox Hesychastic monastic complex. This sect of Eastern Orthodoxy, dedicated to religious seclusion, developed a complex that includes churches, chapels, and monastic cells all set into the caves of cliffs cut by the river Roussenski Lom. Inside many of the caves can be found frescoes; those in the Church of the Mother of God are the most valuable and best preserved in the complex. They are also the only frescoes that have been subject to full conservation and are accessible to the public. Despite continued conservation work at the site, many frescoes remain unconserved and are vulnerable to constant seismic activity, ground water penetration, condensation from high humidity, and air pollution.
