IVANOVO ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES
Ivanovo rock-hewn churches are included оn the UNESO World Heritage List and are one of the 9 similar sites in Bulgaria.
In the main church "Virgin Mary", which is the most frequently visited today, various biblical scenes are painted on the rock. Among them are the Last Supper, the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist, The Passion of the Christ and the Hanging of Judas, Christ's Descent into Hell.
Visitors can reach the parking lot of the "Virgin Mary" church by car or a bicycle through the village of Ivanovo. Another option is a 10-km trek, on foot or by bicycle, along the route with yellow marking on the Cherni Lom bank and then along the red marking route around the "Gramovets" rock monastery.
The churches and all chapels in "Pismata /the Letters/" area are several monastic sites, which are named "Belbernitsa", "Zatrupanata tsarkva /the Buried Church/" ("St. Arch. Michael"), "Krashtalnyata /Baptismal/", "Gospodev dol/Lord's Valley/", "Saborenata tsarkva /the Demolished Church/" ("St. St. Theodore Tyrone and Theodore Stratilat"). They form the rock monastery "St. Archangel Michael", founded in the 13th century by the monk Joachim, later elected for the first patriarch of Tarnovo.
The monastic sites in the "Pismata/the Letters/" area can be reached on foot or by bicycle. The distance from the parking lot of the "Virgin Mary" church is 1.5 km. Another option is on foot or by bike to the "Gramovets" monastic site, from where it is continued along a yellow marking across two small bridges over the Cherni Lom River, a third bridge over the Beli Lom River and along a green marking across the "Smesitsite" area. In total, from the campsite to "Pismata", the distance is 10.5 km.
GRAMOVETS ROCK MONASTERY
It is located in the Natural Park "Rusenski Lom" on the left bank of the Cherni Lom River, between the villages of Koshov and Ivanovo. It is at a distance of 600m from the area of "Smesitsite" (Smesite), where the Rivers Cherni and Beli Lom confluence to form Rusenski Lom. Gramovets monastery is carved into a sheer rock artificial niches used for chapels and monk shelters during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Together with the Ivanovo rock-hewn churches and Cherven fortress, it is among the biggest attractions along the gorge of Rusenski Lom and its tributary Cherni Lom.
There is a shelter at the foot of the monastic site. From there you can reach the chapels and the monastic shelters via a picturesquely howling narrow path with various railings, wooden steps and small bridges.
The second monastery is located about 100 meters north of the first.
Gramovets rock monastery can be reached on foot or by bicycle along Pirin Hill panoramic road with yellow marking on the banks of the Cherni Lom River and along a red mark extension, a total of 5 km.
ORLOVA CHUKA CAVE
"Orlova Chuka" cave was discovered in 1941. In 1957 it was developed and in 1962 the cave and the adjoining area of 7,5 ha. were declared a natural site.
"Orlova Chuka" cave was formed in the late Pliocene and early Quaternary when it used to be the bed of a subterranean river, carved in the local sedimentary rocks of limestone and sandstone. The cave consists of a complex system of tunnels and halls. The ceiling is mainly smooth due to the underground eddies. Remains of the Late Paleolithic have been found in it: bones of a cave bear and traces of life of cave people who used the cave due to its relatively high constant temperature.
Among the highlights of the cave are the Concert Hall, the Big Stalagnate (3.5 m high and 0.5 m in diameter), the Little Chasm and the Golemite Sipei Hall, the largest hall in the cave, which is also the end of the developed part of the cave. Another important site is the sinter lake Izvorcheto (the Spring).
„Orlova Chuka" is the third second longest cave in Bulgaria with 13,437 m total length of the galleries. The temperature in the cave is relatively constant throughout the year (14 ° C). It is electrified in its easily accessible entrance parts.
The parking lot of "Orlova Chuka" cave can be reached by car or bicycle on the way to the town of Dve mogili. Another option is by a longer trek of about 5-6 hours along the marked hiking trails through the medieval town of Cherven and the village of Tabachka.
MEDIEVAL TOWN OF CHERVEN
The medieval town of Cherven is an impressive fortress from the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. It is located within the town of Cherven. Since 1965 the area has been declared a National Archaeological Reserve.
The earliest fortification was built during the time of the Emperors Anastasius I and Justinian I in the 6th century in an attempt to deter the barbaric invasions from the north. The fortress was mentioned by the name "Cherven" for the first time during the uprising of Tsar Peter II Delyan (1040-1041).
In the period of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12th- 14th century), the medieval town reached its greatest expansion. It covers the entire territory of the rock ridge, as well as the river foothills. The fortress has an intricate fortification system and solid construction. On the site of the early Byzantine fort was built a citadel with a castle of the boyar from Cherven. The three-storey battle tower of the western inner wall is fully preserved. The city grew up as a large commercial and craft center, with developed ironworking, goldsmithing, construction and artistic crafts. After 1235 it became the seat of the Cherven Metropolis. Plenty of rock monasteries arise in its vicinity.
Strategically located in the valley of Cherni Lom, the town is directly connected to the nearby royal monastery "St. Archangel Mihail" near Ivanovo and with the capital Tarnovgrad.
In 1388 the Ottoman Turks conquered Cherven, and two centuries later it was burned down by the Wallachian ruler Mihai Viteazul. The population of the city moved to the foot of the rocks, and the Bishop of Cherven moved to Ruse.
The first archaeological excavations of Cherven were carried out in 1910 and continue to this day. A castle, fortress walls, two underground water cisterns, 16 churches, administrative buildings, dwellings, and other archaeological findings have been exposed. These include coin treasures, jewelry, epigraphic monuments, ceramics, armaments
Тhe Medieval town of Cherven can be reached by car or bicycle along the asphalt road through the town of Cherven. It is preferable to walk or ride a bicycle along the 8 km marked hiking trail along the right bank of the Cherni Lom River, which passes by a tourist shelter and the "Chochana" fountain.
