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We begin our journey through Bulgaria at one of the interior courtyards at the famous Rila monastery. It was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. The monastery was destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, and was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. The monument is a characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th–19th centuries) and symbolizes an awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following five centuries of Turkish occupation.