John of Rila
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| Saint Ivan of Rila Свети Иван Рилски |
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| Born | 876 |
| Died | c. 946 |
| Venerated in | Bulgaria, the Eastern Orthodox world |
| Feast | 19 October |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Ivan Rilski (Bulgarian: свети Иван Рилски, sveti Ivan Rilski) (876 – c. 946) was the first Bulgarian hermit. He was revered as a saint when he was still alive and the legend says, that wild animals were coming to him, and birds were landing on his hands. His followers founded the Rila Monastery as well as many churches in his honor. One of these churches, "St Ivan Rilski" has been discovered in 2008 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. He is today honoured as the patron of Bulgarian people and one of the most important saints of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
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[edit] Life
Originally a herder, Saint Ivan of Rila became a priest at the age 25 and later dedicated himself entirely to a life of isolation in various locations in the Rila Mountains, where he prayed to God and deprived himself of an everyday life, settling in dark and cold caves in appalling conditions.
Saint Ivan of Rila is also legendarily known to have performed a multitude of miracles in order to help people. This brought him fame throughout the country, which he did not desire and often tried to avoid contact with other people. With his growing number of followers, many young believers and supporters set up camps around his cave, seeking a blessing from him. This led the way to the creation of the Rila Monastery, which is considered to be the foremost monastery in Bulgaria.
One of Saint Ivan of Rila's miracles is "the fable of two pies" where he helped feed the poor when he visited bearing "two pies" which were given to him by the village pie maker. This led to Saint Ivan becoming the Patron Saint of Pies and Pie Makers and it is said that "two pies Ivan" will always provide for makers of pies as thanks to the poor pie maker who gave his last two pies to the Saint. This day is still celebrated in Northern America on National Pie Day which is the 23rd of January, where its tradition to bring "two pies" to the parties.
[edit] Remains
Shortly after the saint's death, his remains, which were thought to have wonder-working powers, were transferred to Sofia during the reign of Peter I.
After Magyar King Béla III conquered Sofia in 1183, Saint Ivan of Rila's remains were sent to the Hungarian capital Esztergom and remained there for 4 years before being returned to Sofia in 1187.
In 1194, Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen I ordered the remains to be moved to his capital, Veliko Tarnovo. Surviving the Turkish conquest of the city in 1393, they were returned to the Rila Monastery in 1469 with the permission of Sultan Murad II.
[edit] Cult
St. Ivan of Rila is considered the main patron of Bulgaria, and he is venerated widely both in his native country as well as among the Bulgarian diaspora abroad. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. One of Chicago's two Bulgarian Orthodox churches St. Ivan of Rila Church is dedicated to him, located in the Portage Park community area.
