Arbanassi

We left Veliko Tarnovo to travel to Arbanassi which was only a short drive away. Christians, under Ottoman rule, founded Arbanassi in the late 15th century. In the 17th century, the merchants of Arbanassi became wealthy traders, and since they had to leave their families and homes often, they built houses that resembled small fortresses: with no balconies or terraces, bars on the windows, and stone walls surrounding their properties with armored gates. The settlers of Arbanassi also built churches and monasteries here. Today, ninety of its houses, churches, and monasteries are state–protected cultural monuments.

Church of the Nativity, Arbanassi

The Church of the Nativity is the oldest surviving church in Arbanassi built in 1632–1649. From the outside, it does not look like a church, therefore it was hidden from the Ottomans who had banned the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Church of the Nativity, Arbanassi

The church has five chambers decorated with paintings and frescoes dating back to the 17th century. There are over 3,500 figures depicted in the frescoes with about 2,000 scenes from the Old and New Testaments. No photos were allowed in the church but there are many of them on the internet and I borrowed some of them, this photo being one of them.

Our Drive from Arbanassi to Ruse

Our next stop was Ruse (also spelled Rousse). We saw this old house and other interesting sights along the way.

Ruse

We ate lunch in the pedestrian area of Ruse which has many buildings dating back to the late 18th century and early 19th century.

Crossing the Border into Romania

Ruse was very close to the border with Romania. We crossed into Romania on a bridge over the Danube River.

I have put my photos of Arbanassi and Ruse and our drive from one to the other on a slide show. Go to

Arbanassi/Ruse

(Slide Shows, Eastern Europe, Bulgaria, “Arbanassi/Ruse”).