Rila, Bulgaria, August 8, 2026
Photo: mitropolia-sofia.org
His Holiness Patriarch Daniil of Bulgaria joined hundreds of pilgrims this week on a six-day, 75-mile procession retracing the path once taken by the relics of St. John of Rila, walking the final stretch to the Seven Rila Lakes before the group completed its journey at Rila Monastery.
The pilgrimage, known as The Rila Miracle-Worker, began in Sofia on August 1 and draws over a hundred Orthodox Christians from Bulgaria and abroad each year. It commemorates the 1469 transfer of the relics of St. John of Rila from Tarnovgrad through Sofia to Rila Monastery, following the same route the relics are known to have traveled, reports the Sofia Diocese.
Along the way, participants held services and offered prayers and hymns to God, the Theotokos, and St. John of Rila.
Photo: mitropolia-sofia.org
On August 5, Patriarch Daniil, joining the pilgrimage for the third time, climbed on foot to an elevation of 7,485 feet and reached Babreka, the third-highest lake in the glacial cirque. Following what’s become an established tradition, a festive blessing of the water was held there. Concelebrating with him were Their Graces Bishop Ioan of Branitsa and Bishop Yerotei of Agatopolis, and clergy from Sofia who took part in the procession.
“May your example be a beacon for all those just beginning to walk toward the faith,” Patriarch Daniil said after the water blessing. He recalled the teachings of St. John of Rila and stressed how relevant they remain today, saying the saint left believers with the charge to guard against greed, to preserve unity among themselves, and to avoid discord and division. He urged the faithful to follow this teaching and put it into practice on their path toward the Kingdom of God.
After the blessing and the sprinkling of holy water, the pilgrims continued on to Rila Monastery, where the procession concluded. The following day, the Feast of the Transfiguration, they took part in the festive Hierarchical Liturgy at the monastery’s Nativity of the Theotokos Cathedral.
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