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

Pilgrimage to St. John of Rila begins in Sofia

Photo: Metropolitan Diocese of Sofia

For the 15th consecutive year, the "Miracle Worker of Rila" pilgrimage gathers Orthodox Christians from near and far to walk from Sofia to the Rila Monastery. The Holy Metropolis of Sofia announces on its website that the pilgrimage is organised with the blessing of His Holiness the Metropolitan of Sofia and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil.

The pilgrimage will take place from August 1 to 6 and will cross the mountains of Vitosha, Verila and Rila. On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a mass is held at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

And this year, on August 1, the march will begin in the capital's St. Sophia Temple with a Holy Mass and water service celebrated by Patriarch Daniil. For the first time, the First Hierarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church will also officiate at the water consecration at one of the Seven Rila Lakes - "Babreka" - on August 5, a traditional part of the pilgrimage programme.



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

Dragoş Pislaru

Balkan developments

Romania renegotiates its National Recovery and Resilience Plan with the EU The European Commission has approved a new version of Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan, announced Minister for European Funds Dragos Păslaru, quoted by..

published on 10/24/25 2:38 PM
Chrissy Brand

Chrissy Brand from Great Britain: I’ve been listening to Radio Bulgaria for decades

For Chrissy Brand, a freelance journalist and long-time radio enthusiast from the UK, the trip to Bulgaria didn't start with a call to a travel agency or a low-cost airline ticket. It began decades ago in a quiet room filled with the humming of an old..

published on 10/24/25 1:49 PM

New Bulgarian school opens doors in Spain – in the town of Fraga

Today, 24 October, a new Bulgarian school in Spain – in the town of Fraga in the autonomous community of Aragon -  is opening doors for the start of the school year. The new school is a branch of the Seven Apostles – the only Bulgarian school in the..

published on 10/24/25 10:15 AM