Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel took part in an annual pilgrimage route to the Rila Mountains, traveling with participants along a route leading to the famous Seven Rila Lakes.

The mountain trek, known as the “Rila Wonderworker,” is dedicated to Saint John of Rila, one of the most venerated saints of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the patron saint of the Bulgarian people.

Pilgrims began their walk in Sofia on August 1. Over several days, they followed a route that symbolically reenacts the journey of St. John of Rila’s relics in 1469, when the relics were transferred from Veliko Tarnovo to Rila Monastery—via Sofia—after being moved to Tarnovo earlier.

At an altitude of 2,282 meters, at Lake Bubreka, Patriarch Daniel celebrated a water blessing service (moleben) together with clergy and the hikers. It was the second time that the Patriarch had joined the pilgrimage.

“May your example become a light for all those who are only beginning their path toward faith,” Patriarch Daniel told the pilgrims.

He also recalled the saint’s spiritual message calling on Christians to preserve unity, avoid strife, and not place material values above spiritual ones.

After the prayer service by the mountain lake, participants continued on to Rila Monastery, where the pilgrimage concluded. The following day, they joined a festive Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration.

The “Rila Wonderworker” route was created as a spiritual remembrance of the events of 1469. At that time, monks received permission from Ottoman authorities and brought St. John of Rila’s relics back to the monastery founded by the saint.

Saint John of Rila lived in the 10th century during the reign of Tsar Peter of Bulgaria. According to church tradition, even in his lifetime he was known as the “earthly angel” and “heavenly inhabitant,” and he was believed to have the gift of healing the sick and offering spiritual comfort to those in need.

After his repose in 946, his disciples discovered his incorrupt relics and transferred them to Sredets (modern-day Sofia). Later, in 1195, the Bulgarian ruler Asen I moved the relic to the capital at Veliko Tarnovo. Nearly three centuries afterward, the relics were returned to Rila Monastery, where they remain today.

Church organizers say the annual “Rila Wonderworker” pilgrimage now draws more than 100 believers from Bulgaria and other countries, combining prayer, remembrance of the saint, and the challenge of overcoming a mountain route.