Rila Monastery Sculpture with 6 Million Matches

Bulgarian artist Plamen Ignatov checks his miniature wooden model of the Rila Monastery, during an exhibition at the Museum of Archaeological in Sofia, Bulgaria, 13 January 2012. The meticulous miniature model of the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria, a UNESCO heritage site, is made of wood, matches and gems. It has taken 16 years and about 6,000,000 matches to make.

Think you have the time, dedication and patience to create an artwork like this? First, try and comprehend these numbers. 6 million matches. 16 years of life. Bulgarian artist Plamen Ignatov used that many matches and spent that much time to create this impressive miniature model of the Rila Monastery. Made of wood, matches and gems, it’s now on display at the Museum of Archaeological in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Talk about dedication to your craft. (Doesn’t it remind you of Scott Weaver’s toothpick sculptures?)

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