The Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks today the Dormition of St. John of Rila (Ivan Rilski), patron saint of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian People. St. John of Rila was born around 876 in the village of Skrino located at the foot of the Osogovo Mountain. He was a contemporary of the reign of Knyaz Boris I and his son Vladimir, Tsar Simeon I the Great and his son Tsar Peter I, when Christianity was spreading across Bulgaria.
At the age of 25, St. John of Rila became a priest at St Demetrius monastery located under Ruen peak. After accepting the life of a monk, he left the monastery in order to continue his life in solitude and prayer. Later he settled in Rila and founded the Rila Monastery. He died in 946 and was buried in the small church in the Rila Monastery. St. John of Rila was canonized around 980.
High in the canyon of the Rusenski Lom River lies one of the most impressive spiritual centers of Bulgaria. It is a complex of dozens of rock-hewn cells, chapels and churches carved on both sides of the river , which came to life in the 13th century..
For the first time in 500 years, the chants of the Divine Liturgy echoed through the ruins of the medieval monastery ''St. John the Baptist'' on St. John Island near Sozopol. The occasion was the commemoration of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist,..
The church board of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church “Holy Trinity” in Madison, Illinois (USA), has announced on its Facebook page that it needs a priest to serve in the church. “We humbly ask all brothers and sisters in Christ – in the wider..
On 19 October, Bulgarians commemorate St Ivan Rilski, also known as St John of Rila, who is considered the country’s heavenly protector. He founded the..
Mostly Cloudy
Partly cloudy, chance of rain