St John Of Rila (880-946)
John of Rila , known to his compatriots as Ivan Rilski , was one of many ninth-century hermits and mystics who took to the wilds of Bulgaria and Macedonia in search of solitude and enlightenment. Having acquired a reputation as a wise man and healer, he finally yielded to his followers and established a monastery high in the Rila Valley, where he could combine the virtues of a religious community with ascetic solitude. It's said that he took steps to embalm himself by consuming herbs and potions, and his corpse was believed to possess curative powers. As a result, Rila became famous throughout the Balkans as a pilgrimage site. In the Middle Ages, the bones of saints were important symbols that added legitimacy to the rule of whoever could establish control over them, so Tsar Petar had John of Rila's remains moved to Sofia in the mid-900s. In 1183 they were stolen from here by the Hungarian King Bela III, who carted them off to the Catholic city of Esztergom, whose bishop reputedly went blind after denying that the bones were those of a saint and only regained his sight after publically recanting. Their return to Sofia in 1187 was secured by the Byzantine Emperor Isaac Angelus, to win support against the rebellion of the Bulgarian nobles Petar and Asen, though this didn't prevent Asen from capturing the city and bearing the bones off to his new capital, Veliko Tarnovo, in 1194. They finally returned to Rila in 1469 - though St John's right hand toured Russia in the sixteenth century to raise funds for the restoration of Bulgarian monasteries. The left hand is still kept in the monastery church - although it's not always on display.
Your Tip for Rila Monastery
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Rila Monastery - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Rila Monastery - visit the main Rila Monastery forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Rila Monastery webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
