The Kurilski Monastery is situated at the foot of the southern slopes of the Stara Planina where the Iskar River enters in the gorge. The monastery is dedicated to "Saint Ivan Rilski". It is supposed that at this site there was another monastery at the time of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. The present-day monastery was built in 1593. The donors for the construction of the church were the inhabitants of the adjacent villages of Dobroslavtzi, Kumaritza and Trebich. In 1856 the church was covered with murals with the help of Stoyan Hlebar Sofiyanin and Stoyan Simitchiya Sofianin. The establishment of the new monastery was organized and partly done by Pimen Zografski - a famous Bulgarian icon painter. Few fragments from the first murals have survived - only the images of several saints and separate scenes. In 1816 the church was painted again. This is understood from an inscription. Contrary to the high artistic values of the first painting this is characterized by a craftsman's skills and awkwardness.
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Icon of Saint John of Rila
