Ivan Rilski
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Saint John of Rila, also known as Ivan of Rila (; – 18 August 946), was the first
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n 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 The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery ("Sveti Ivan Rilski" (), is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in th ...
. 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 Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...
and as one of the most important saints in the
Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and t ...
.


Life

Saint John of Rila was born app. 876 a.c. in
Skrino Skrino () is a village in the municipality of Boboshevo, Kyustendil Province, western Bulgaria. As of 2013 it has 66 inhabitants. Geography The village is located in the Ruen mountain, the northernmost part of the Vlahina mountain range. H ...
, at the foot of the
Osogovo Osogovo ( Bulgarian/ Macedonian: ), or Osogovska Planina or Osogovski Planini (Осоговска Планина or Осоговски Планини), is a mountain range and ski resort between the south-western part of Bulgaria ( Kyustendil Pr ...
mountain. He was a contemporary of the reign of emperor and saint
Boris I Boris I (also ''Bogoris''), venerated as Saint Boris I (Mihail) the Baptizer (, ; died 2 May 907), was the ruler (knyaz) of the First Bulgarian Empire from 852 to 889. Despite a number of military setbacks, the reign of Boris I was marked wit ...
, 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 Rila (, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula, and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2,925 m whi ...
. 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 The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery ("Sveti Ivan Rilski" (), is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in th ...
, which is considered to be the foremost monastery in Bulgaria. Word of the miracles he performed reached the capital of the
Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire may refer to: * First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led b ...
-
Great Preslav The modern Veliki Preslav or Great Preslav (, ), former Preslav (; until 1993), is a city and the seat of government of the Veliki Preslav Municipality (Great Preslav Municipality, new Bulgarian: ''obshtina''), which in turn is part of Shumen P ...
. Tsar Peter I (son of tsar Simeon I) took a 450 km trip to the Rila Mountains in order to meet St. John and seek spiritual advice. Their meeting is described in detail in one of the hagiologies of St. John of Rila as well as in the Testament of St. John of Rila itself. After a long and exhausting trip, tsar Peter I reached the place where St. John of Rila lived, however, upon arrival, the tsar then realized that the dwelling of the saint was inaccessible, probably due to the rough local terrain. As the medieval hagiologies point out, St. John of Rila refused to meet the tsar in person to avoid the temptation of vanity and pride due to the extraordinary visit. As such, the two men only bowed to each other from a distance. The emperor sent a soldier to deliver the gifts that were brought for the saint. St. John of Rila kept only a small portion of food and returned all of the gold and precious gifts, advising the tsar that monarchs need gold in order to protect the country and help the poor. Shortly before his death (August 18, 946) St. John of Rila wrote his Testament (Zavet).Testament of St. John of Rila
/ref> A literary work and a moral message to his successors and to Bulgarian people. As the patron saint of the Bulgarian people, his dormition is commemorated each year on August 18 and October 19.


Remains

Shortly after the saint's death, his remains, which were thought to have wonder-working powers, were transferred to
Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
during the reign of Peter I. After Hungarian King
Béla III Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...
conquered Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or legal prohibitions against conquest ...
Sofia in 1183, the remains were sent to the Hungarian capital
Esztergom Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...
and remained there for four years before being returned to Sofia in 1187. In 1194, Bulgarian Tsar
Ivan Asen I Ivan Asen I, also known as Asen I or John Asen I (; died in 1196), was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1187/1188 to 1196 as co-ruler with his elder brother, Peter II. Hailing from the Byzantine theme of Paristrion, his exact place and date o ...
ordered the remains to be moved to his capital,
Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...
. Surviving the Turkish conquest of the city in 1393, they were returned to the Rila Monastery in 1469 at the behest of Sultana
Mara Branković Mara Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Мара Бранковић; – 14 September 1487), or Mara Despina Hatun, in Europe also known as ''Amerissa'', ''Sultana Maria'' or ''Sultanina'', was the daughter of Despotate of Serbia, Serbian monarch Đurađ Br ...
, the widow of the late
Murad II Murad II (, ; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451. Early life Murad was born in June 1404 to Mehmed I, while the identity of his mother is disputed according to v ...
.


Patronage and tributes

St. John of Rila is considered the patron saint of Bulgaria and Bulgarian people, and he is venerated widely both in his native country as well as among the
Bulgarian diaspora The Bulgarian diaspora includes Bulgarians living outside Bulgaria and its surrounding countries, as well as immigrants from Bulgaria abroad. The number of Bulgarians outside Bulgaria has sharply increased since 1989, following the Revolutions ...
abroad. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of the
Rila Monastery The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery ("Sveti Ivan Rilski" (), is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in th ...
, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. One of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
's two Bulgarian Orthodox churches St. John of Rila Church is dedicated to him, located in the Portage Park community area. As the patron saint of the Bulgarian people, his dormition is commemorated each year on August 18 and October 19.
Ioannovsky Convent The Convent of St. John of Rila (Иоанновский монастырь) is the largest convent in St. Petersburg, Russia and the only stauropegic nunnery in that city. John of Kronstadt (later Saint John of Kronstadt) established the monas ...
, the largest convent in
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
, commemorates this saint.
St. Ivan Rilski Col St. Ivan Rilski Col (Rid Sv. Ivan Rilski \'rid sve-'ti i-'van 'ril-ski\) is an ice-covered col linking the Great Needle Peak (Falsa Aguja Peak) and Levski Peak in Levski Ridge, Tangra Mountains, eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland ...
on
Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...
in the
South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...
,
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
is named after John of Rila. The St. John of Rila Chapel built in 2003 at
St. Kliment Ohridski Base St. Kliment Ohridski Base (, ) is a Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. The base, originally known as ''Sofia University Refuge'' or ''Hemus Base'', was named in 1993 for medieval Bulgarian scholar St. ...
on
Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...
is the first
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
edifice in Antarctica and the southernmost Eastern Orthodox building of worship in the world. An
icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
of John of Rila is depicted on the reverse of the Bulgarian 1
lev Lev or LEV may refer to: People and fictional characters *Lev (given name) *Lev (surname) Places *Lev, Azerbaijan, a village *Lev (crater), a tiny lunar crater Religion *an abbreviation for Leviticus, the third book of the Hebrew Bible and the ...
coin issued in 2002, and on the
obverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...
of the former 1 lev banknote, issued in 1999.Bulgarian National Bank
Notes and Coins out of Circulation
1 lev
– Retrieved on 14 March 2018.


References


External links




National Pie day which celebrates Saint John's passing of the "Two Pies"
{{DEFAULTSORT:John of Rila 876 births 940s deaths 9th-century Bulgarian people 10th-century Bulgarian people 10th-century Christian saints Bulgarian Orthodox Church Burials at the Rila Monastery Eastern Orthodox monks Medieval Bulgarian saints Rila Rila Monastery Christian miracle workers People from Kyustendil Province