Българска народна банка

The obverse of the banknote shows a 1789 icon depicting of Saint Ivan Rilski from the Uspenie Bogorodichno (Assumption of Our Lady) Church in the Pchelino Postnica (Hermitage) near the Rila Monastery.

Saint Ivan Rilski (876 - 946)

Bulgaria adopted Christianity as a national religion in AD864, and Ivan of Rila preached Christ's doctrine in mediaeval Bulgaria. Canonised soon after his death, he became patron of the monastery which emerged on the spot where he ended his earthly span. Today the Rila Monastery, over a thousand years old, houses the Saint's relics.

The reverse of the banknote shows the main Monastery church set off by the cloister's open-air walkways.

Technical Characteristics

Background colour - red.

Paper - 100% cotton, in orange tones.

Dimensions - 112 x 60 mm.

Security Features

Anti-copy Stripe - a hologram stripe consisting of rhomboid elements which change their colour when seen from different angles.

Security Thread - a thread incorporated in the banknote paper with initials “БНБ” (BNB) appearing as a negative microprint..

Watermark - a half-tone silhouette of a rampant lion.

Fluorescence - elements of the pattern, serial numbers and fibres in the paper fluoresce under UV light.

Microprint on the obverse - to the left of the portrait there are alternating lines with the texts: “ИВАН РИЛСКИ” (IVAN RILSKI) and “876 – 946”; the text “ЛЕВ” (LEV) in the right side of the element under the denomination digit “1”.

Microprint on the reverse - the text “ЕДИН ЛЕВ РИЛСКИ МАНАСТИР” (ONE LEV RILA MONASTERY) appearing in the middle of the upper side of the banknote; the text “ЛЕВ” (LEV) in the right side of the element under the denomination digit “1”.

The obverse of the banknote features the embossed portrait, the texts “БЪЛГАРСКА НАРОДНА БАНКА”, “ЕДИН ЛЕВ” (BULGARIAN NATIONAL BANK, ONE LEV), the vignette, and the digit of the denomination “1” on the anti-copy stripe.

Visually impaired aid - an embossed triangle pointed upwards and a circle underneath.