Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Pilgrimage to St. John of Rila begins in Sofia

Photo: Metropolitan Diocese of Sofia

For the 15th consecutive year, the "Miracle Worker of Rila" pilgrimage gathers Orthodox Christians from near and far to walk from Sofia to the Rila Monastery. The Holy Metropolis of Sofia announces on its website that the pilgrimage is organised with the blessing of His Holiness the Metropolitan of Sofia and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil.

The pilgrimage will take place from August 1 to 6 and will cross the mountains of Vitosha, Verila and Rila. On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a mass is held at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

And this year, on August 1, the march will begin in the capital's St. Sophia Temple with a Holy Mass and water service celebrated by Patriarch Daniil. For the first time, the First Hierarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church will also officiate at the water consecration at one of the Seven Rila Lakes - "Babreka" - on August 5, a traditional part of the pilgrimage programme.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Euro changeover: On the menu this summer

We are in the middle of Bulgaria’s summer tourist season, when the Black Sea coast — though not only there — is full of visitors from home and abroad. Unless you are staying at an all-inclusive hotel, a holiday also means setting aside a sizeable..

published on 8/12/25 8:18 PM

Watch the Perseid meteor shower over Bulgaria tonight!

Between 12 and 13 August, the skies over Bulgaria will put on one of the most spectacular natural displays: the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Dozens of “shooting stars” per hour are expected to light up the darkness — an ideal moment for fans of..

published on 8/12/25 5:03 PM
Graduation ceremony of young doctors at the Medical University of Sofia

The number of foreign students studying in Bulgaria is growing for yet another year

In the academic year 2024/2025, the number of foreign students at Bulgarian universities increased by 4.8%. 16,995 students in the country are foreigners, which is an increase of 779 people. This is clear from data received from higher education..

published on 8/12/25 9:55 AM