ETERNAL REST [BG]

Exploration #47. Drizzle and fog create the perfect setting for urban exploration as we head into the Bulgarian mountains to visit an abandoned Orthodox monastery. Reached after a steep and winding climb, the site once stood among the largest monasteries in the country. Repeatedly looted and rebuilt over centuries, part of the complex was finally abandoned in 1991 after a landslide caused severe damage.

Our destination is a small church built in 1891, located within an old cemetery. While the church itself is sealed, access to the underground crypt is still possible. Inside, rows of human skulls rest on wooden shelves, accompanied by bones and wooden boxes containing additional remains. Each is marked with inscriptions listing names, dates of birth and death, monastic roles, and honors.

The crypt is haunting, unique, and remarkably untouched a rare example of an abandoned religious site that has escaped vandalism. After documenting the crypt and the surrounding abandoned monastery buildings, we leave the site under the same fog and drizzle.