Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The national pilgrimage marking the return of the relics of St. John of Rila from Veliko Tarnovo to Rila Monastery begins

Photo: Yana Momchilova

The national pilgrimage marking the return of the relics of St. John of Rila from the town of Veliko Tarnovo to the Rila Monastery has begun. 

The route connecting the old Bulgarian capital and the Rila Monastery is 700 kilometers long and crosses 70 churches and monasteries. The pilgrimage will end on August 6.

On October 19, 1238 the relics of St John of Rila were solemnly transferred to the new capital, Tarnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. In the year 1469, Saint John's relics were translated to the Rila monastery where they rest to the present day. 




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Father Lyubomir Leontinow from Berlin: Closeness is measured by the heart, not by distance

Father Lyubomir Leontinow is one of three priests at the Cathedral of St Boris the Conqueror in Berlin and was the first priest ordained for the Western and Central European Diocese in 1994. After completing his theology studies in Bulgaria, he settled..

published on 3/9/25 7:30 AM

Great Lent begins

After Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday, the Great Lent has begun on March 3. Orthodox Christians will abstain from eating animal food including meat, eggs, milk and dairy products. The Great Lent symbolizes the 40 days which Jesus spent in the..

published on 3/3/25 9:52 AM
Museum of  History in Batak

Batak is the symbol of history written in blood that must not be forgotten

Batak is a name every Bulgarian remembers with deference and pain because the fate of the small town in the Rhodopes is scarred by one of the bloodiest events in national memory – the Batak massacre. During the first days after the outbreak of..

published on 3/3/25 9:10 AM