Rila, Bulgaria - July 5, 1993  The Convent of Rila, rebuilt between 1834 and 1860, incorporates the legacies of Saint Ivan of Rilski, 10th-century evangelist of the Slavs, and the remains of a medieval monastery into a distinctive neo-Byzantine monument.  Characteristic of the Bulgarian Renaissance, this monument symbolises the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.  The Rila monastery’s most treasured historic and artistic monuments include the 14th century Hrelyo Tower, the five-domed Birth of the Blessed Virgin Church and the original monastery kitchen from the 19th century.  The monastery also houses a rich museum collection of valuable old manuscripts and documents, charters and icons, an ethnographic exhibition of fabrics, jewelry, carpets and wrought iron objects, and a library containing more than 16,000 books.  (Photo by Maria Todorova)