Two hours by train from Sofia and one reaches the town of Boboshevo on the two banks of the Struma River at the foot of the Vlahina Mountain. The village of Skrino is nearby. It is where in 876 the heavenly patron of Bulgaria – St. Ivan Rilski was born. This is so not only according to local legends but also according to the ancient book presenting his life, described by Saint Euthymius of Tarnovo.

Passing through the cozy town of Boboshevo and its streets with blooming fruit trees, we come to the church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary." Locals say that this is one of the most impressive Orthodox churches of the Bulgarian Revival period. Construction of the basilica started in 1851 and finished in 1862. Builder is famous artist Milenko from the village of Blateshnitsa, near Radomir, who in 1847 built the southern wing of the Rila Monastery. The murals were work of an inheritor of the traditions of the Samokov School of Icon-Painting - Stanislav Dospevski who graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.

We go along the river, with its banks with blossoming flowers. Vlahina Mountain is especially beautiful and fragrant in spring. The trail takes us to the Krusta (“The Cross”) area, where a stunning view is revealed before one’s eyes. A steep trail that reaches the Ruen Peak starts nearby. The trail is not easy, but offers more stunning views of the surrounding mountains. The path to the top was marked by Lyubcho Karadzhov, a local man who takes care of the maintenance of some of the holy places in the region. He places Orthodox crosses and Bulgarian flags on sites linked to the history of Bulgaria. We find Lyubcho in front of the cave where Ivan Rilski once lived. One reaches the cave after a five-minute walk from the Cross Area. Lyubcho told us about the local legends related to the life of the saint.

"Before St. Ivan Rilski was born, his mother had a sign that he will become a great ascetic person. Before such people are born, just like Saint Serafim Sarovski, St. Sergius Radonezhski, St. Anthony, their mothers knew their children would have a great future. Ivan Rilski was known to be a man of extraordinary talent since he was a child. They used to call these people "white crows" back then. He was an oxherd in the nearby village of Vukovo. A sacred place is situated there with three caves. As a boy, he lived in one of the caves. Once, the Struma River started overflowing and he got worried about his herd. Then he separated the river like St Elijah did with the Jordan River. People got scared when they saw it, and expelled him but gave him a calf. Then he came to this cave where he lived for 1000 days. Then he went to St. Demetrius Monastery near Boboshevo, which used to be a very famous monastery with monks from Mount Athos. There he became a monk and after years, in search of solitude, he went to the Rila Mountain, then in Lyulin, returned to Rila and lived there in a cave for about 40 years."

Ivan Rilski became famous for many miracles, helping people in need, healing people from serious illnesses. In the mid-30s of the 10th century he created the Rila monastery, now the largest religious center in Bulgaria.

The Ruen Monastery, which today bears the name of Saint Ivan Rilski, is located just meters down the path from the cave. Local people say that this is one of the first Bulgarian monasteries built after the Christianization of the Bulgarian nation by Knyaz Boris I. The monastery is also famous as an old literary center, in which in 1743 a school was established.

English: Al.exander Markov