Preparation began for pilgrimage route of St. John of Rila relics

The preparations for the pilgrimage, in which people will walk on the route, on which the relics of St. John of Rila (St. Ivan Rilski) were carried over from Bulgaria’s Old Capital, Veliko Turnovo to the Rila Monastery.

Establishment of the National Initiative Committee to mark the 550th anniversary of the return of the relics of St. John of Rila will be held in Sofia, as well organization of the national pilgrimage "The Holy Road".

It will begin on 1^st of July from the Cathedral in Veliko Turnovo. This is the date of the return of the relics of the saint and one of the three dates dedicated to St. John of Rila in the Orthodox calendar.

On October 19, 1238 the relics of Saint John of Rila were solemnly transferred to the then capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Turnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. Then on July 1, 1469 the holy relics of Saint John were returned to the Rila monastery, where they rest to the present day, granting grace-filled help to all the believers.

Saint John of Rila is honoured as the patron saint of the Bulgarians and as one of the most important saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The name of the saint is related to a number of miracles. He was born in 876 and lived during the time of Bulgarian rulers Knyaz Boris I, Tsar Simeon the Great and Tsar Peter.

He is patron saint of numerous temples and monasteries in Bulgaria, among which he founded the Rila Monastery.

It is assumed that the saint was born around 876 in the village Skrino near today's town of Dupnitsa. As a youth he was a shepherd. He entered the monastery "St. Demetrius" in Vlahina, where he received training and took the monastic vows.

His goal was to dedicate his life to serving God

He was devoted to living in complete solitude, prayer, fasting and privation. He toured a lot of places around the Bulgarian territories, while settled in the Rila Mountains, where he remained until the end of his life and founded the eponymous monastery.

St. John of Rila died on 18 August, 946, and was buried in the narthex of the church of the monastery, in a stone tomb, which is still preserved. Soon after his death, his remains were moved to Serdica (now Sofia). In 1183, during another Hungarian-Byzantine war, the Hungarian King Bela III took Sredets and referred the relics of St. John in its capital Grand Prix, in 1187 the relics were returned to Serdica, and in 1194-1195 was carried over the then capital of Veliko Turnovo. Since 1469 the saint's relics were returned to Rila Monastery.