Saint John of Rila

Saint John of Rila, also known as Ivan Rilski (Bulgarian: Свети преподобни Иван Рилски Чудотворец, romanized: Sveti prepodobni Ivan Rilski Chudotvorets, lit. 'Saint John of Rila the Wondermaker'; c. 876 – 18 August 946), was the first Bulgarian hermit. He was revered as a saint while he was still alive. The legend surrounding him tells of wild animals that freely came up to him and birds that landed in his hands. His followers founded many churches in his honor, including the famous Rila Monastery. One of these churches, Saint John of Rila was only discovered in 2008 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. Today, he is honored as the patron saint of the Bulgarians and as one of the most important saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Saint John of Rila was born app. 876 a.c. in Skrino, at the foot of the Osogovo mountain. He was a contemporary of the reign of emperor and saint Boris I, his sons Vladimir (Rassate) and tsar Simeon I The Great, and the son of the latter - Saint tsar Peter I. Originally a herder, at the age of 25, Saint John of Rila became a priest in the "St. Dimitrii" monastery located under peak Ruen. After accepting the life of a monk, he left the monastery in order to continue his life in solitude and prayer. Saint John of Rila lived in isolation in various locations before going to the Rila Mountains. There he spent the rest of his life in prayer and deprived himself of an everyday life by settling in the uncomfortable conditions of the caves in the Rila mountains. According to legend, Saint John of Rila was known to have performed a multitude of miracles in order to help the people. These miracles brought him undesired fame as he tried to live the life of a hermit and avoid contact with others. With his growing number of followers, many young believers and supporters set up camps around his cave, seeking a blessing from him. This led the way to the creation of the Rila Monastery, which is considered to be the foremost monastery in Bulgaria.