The Basarbovo Monastery is nestled in the valley of the Rusenski Lom River, near the village of Basarbovo and 10 kilometers from the city of Ruse. It is the only active Bulgarian rock monastery.
The monks of the monastery dug their churches and cells into the limestone rocks in order to live in deprivation, silence and constant prayer, with the sole purpose to see and follow the path of Christ.
According to historical research, the Basarbovo Monastery is dedicated to the Saints Theodore Tyron and Theodore Stratelates. Queen Theodora donated to the monastery – she was the first wife of Tsar Ivan Alexander and daughter of Ivanko Basarab, the founder of the first Wallachia Dynasty. This is where the monastery originated from. Ivanko Basarab, being father of the Queen, was the owner of this land.
The most famous monk of the monastery is St. Demetrius Basarbovski, who spent his entire life there. Therefore, the feast of the monastery is on the 26th of October – the day of St. Demetrius. Since 2005, the monastery has been revitalized with the construction of new structures in the rocks, as well as renovation of the existing structures.