North-east of the Bulgarian village of Ivanovo, the Rock-Hewn Churches occupy natural cavities in a karst landscape above the Rusenski Lom valley. They are not one freestanding church but a scattered religious complex: chapels, cells, churches and monastery spaces were cut into rock at different heights. That dispersed form is part of the experience. Visitors move between openings in the cliff and look out across a river valley rather than entering a conventional walled abbey.
The site lies about four kilometres from Ivanovo village, according to the municipality, and roughly 16 kilometres from Ruse, according to UNESCO. This is a useful excursion from the regional city, but the final approach is rural and should be planned rather than assumed to be an urban walk. The setting helps explain why hermits chose the cliffs: the rock offered places for withdrawal, prayer and a community life that could develop over time.