Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo

The choice for fresco lovers. Medieval churches and chapels were cut into the limestone cliffs of the Rusenski Lom gorge in northern Bulgaria, and six of them keep wall paintings from the 13th and 14th centuries. The paintings in the Church of St. Mary are the reason UNESCO listed the site, and they show Bulgarian church art at its most refined. It is far less crowded than the big names here. You park at the foot of the rocks and climb a stair system cut into the cliff. The monastery is no longer active, visits are paid and seasonal, Wednesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a guide is available.