On 18 August the Bulgarian Orthodox church marks the Assumption of St. John (Yoan) of Rila, the most revered Bulgarian saint, protector of Bulgaria, also called the miracle-worker of Rila. John of Rila is one of the most prominent figures of the Middle Ages having influenced the entire Christian Orthodox world.
Born in 876 in Skrino village in the foothills of Mount Osogovo, he lived in the time of Prince Boris, his sons Vladimir and Tsar Simeon the Great, and his son Tsar Peter. This period is known as the Golden Age, when Christianity became an official religion for Bulgarians, a period of flourishment of Bulgarian culture and literature.
While still a young man, John, who longed to devote his life to God, left the village where he was born and entered a monastery. Once he became a monk he left the monastery in search of solitude in Mount Rila. There, he founded Rila Monastery, and spend his life in prayer and solitude.
He died in 946 and is buried in the small monastery church of Rila Monastery.
152 years after Bulgaria lost its beloved son and advocate for a free, independent and tolerant state – Vasil Levski, his personality continues to excite and inspire Bulgarians from all generations. Scholars continue to study the work of the Apostle..
Vasil Levski is a Bulgarian revolutionary and national hero who fought for the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. He is an ideologist, founder and organizer of the Internal Revolutionary Organization, for which grateful..
Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil will celebrate the first liturgy in London for the consecration of the new church of the Bulgarian Orthodox community in the British capital - the church of Saint Ivan Rilski. T he church is part of the Bulgarian Embassy..
152 years after Bulgaria lost its beloved son and advocate for a free, independent and tolerant state – Vasil Levski, his personality continues to excite..
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