Orthodox Icon of St. John of Rila, Bulgaria

Saint John of Rila COPYRIGHTED ART. Do not copy or deep-link to without prior permission from "Come and See" Icons, Books & Art

August 18th
Troparion (Tone 1)
A foundation of the repentance, an example of the tenderness, a model of the consolation and of the spiritual perfection, O Reverend Father, was your equal to the angels' life; therefore staying in prayers and fasts and in tears, pray to the Christ God for our souls.

St. John of Rila is the first Bulgarian hermit and the founder of a huge monastery in Bulgaria. He was born in 876, in the village of Skrino to pious parents. At age 25, he took the monastic vows, and became devoted to living in complete seclusion, prayers, fasting and privation. Disciples soon gathered around him. John believed that monks should live in harmony and should include manual labor among their spiritual works. He once refused to receive Tsar Peter, co-ruler of Bulgaria and a supporter of monasticism, because monks should have no contact with the princes of the world. This only served to spread his fame and more monastics joined him, all living in small huts near Rila. John wrote a rule for this community which survives to this day. He reposed in the Lord in 946. Shortly after, the Tsar was visiting Sofia and had St. John's relics, which had wonderworking powers, brought to Sofia. In 1183, King Bela II of Hungary conquered Sofia and sent the Saint's relics to his capital, Estergom. In 1187 the local Latin archbishop said he knew nothing of this saint, and was immediately struck dumb, only recovering his speech after he bowed down before John's casket and asked forgiveness. This miracle caused the Hungarians to return St. John to Sofia. In 1194, the Bulgarian Tsar Assen moved St. John's relics to his capital, Veliko, Tarnovo. They miraculously survived the sacking of the city by the Turks in 1393. They were finally returned to the Rila Monastery with the permission of Sultan Murad II in 1469. John is the patron saint of Bulgaria and is known in Bulgarian as Sveti Ivan Rilski.

This icon is by the hand of Nicholas Papas. This icon is one of the "cloud of witnesses" at St. Philip's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Souderton, Pennsylvania.

Order #phn-75