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.
On November 22 and 23, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church will solemnly celebrate the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the Patriarchal Cathedral "St. Alexander Nevsky" . For a century the cathedral has been "a witness to all the hopes and..
The Feast of the Epiphany - the entry of the Theotokos into the Temple - is one of the oldest and most revered feasts in the Orthodox world. It was introduced in Constantinople around the 8th century during the time of Patriarch Tarasius. It was six..
The Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv , Israel, today commemorates the 130th anniversary of the birth of Dimitar Peshev, a righteous man of the nations of the world, deputy chairman of the 25th National Assembly of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian..
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Arsenii of Sliven, a copy of the miraculous Athonite icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "She Who is Quick to..
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