Venerable · c. 876–946
John of Rila
Venerable John of Rila
New Calendar August 18 Old Calendar August 31
Why they are a saint
John of Rila was the greatest monastic saint of Bulgaria; founder of Rila Monastery. The years given for this life are c. 876–946. The Church honors the monastic struggle in which he finished his life. The New Calendar feast is August 18; this memory is kept in the Bulgarian Church.
Life
Saint John of Rila was born in 876 in the village of Skrino near Sredets (Sofia). Orphaned, he became a cowherd, and when he had lost a calf, he crossed the flooded Struma carrying it as though on dry land. He gave away his goods and lived as a hermit, first on a barren hill and then in a deep cave.
Fleeing fame, he lived seven years on a high rocky crag, and humbly declined a meeting with King Peter of Bulgaria. Later, monks gathered under his guidance and built a monastery with a church at the cave where he had lived. He died on August 18, 946, at 70. He is honoured as the heavenly protector of the Bulgarian nation, and his relics rest at the Rila Monastery.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take John of Rila as a patron when they bear the name John; Ivan at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on August 18. Those who share his calling as a monastic also ask his prayers.
Prayer
O holy John of Rila, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.
Do not confuse with other Johns.