The role of the state in protecting the monastery grew after 1961, when by Decree 403 of the Presidium of the National Assembly, the Rila Monastery was declared public property and its transformation into the Rila Monastery National Museum began.
Rila Monastery
The special place that the Rila Monastery occupies in the minds of Bulgarians is expressed by its declaration as early as 1927 of "national antiquity". The role of the state in protecting the monastery grew after 1961, when by Decree 403 of the Presidium of the National Assembly, the Rila Monastery was declared public property and its transformation into the Rila Monastery National Museum began. The monks were moved to other monasteries, but in 1968 they were allowed to return to the Rila Monastery.
At the 7th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held from December 5 to 9, 1983 in Florence, the Rila Monastery was declared a World Heritage Site, and in 1992 the monastery came under the control of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
