Bulgaria on Sunday marked the 1,150th anniversary of the presumed birth of Saint John of Rila, reaffirming his role as the spiritual compass and heavenly patron of the Bulgarian people, Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel said in Rila Monastery. The commemoration also marked the 1,080th anniversary of the saint’s repose, and was reported by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

At the monastery dedicated to the hermit-saint, the Patriarch celebrated the Divine Liturgy, while the day drew special attention after the arrival of the “Hawaii icon” of the Mother of God. The venerated image was welcomed in Bulgaria on July 31 and was solemnly met at Rila Monastery on August 17. Patriarch Daniel bowed before the icon, after which it was carried by cross procession into the monastery’s main church.

“Saint John of Rila is closer to us than we can imagine,” the Patriarch said, adding that prayers addressed to the saint can help people overcome loneliness, depression, and a sense of despair.

Born around 876, Saint John of Rila lived in the 10th century, in the decades following the Christianization of Bulgaria. According to tradition, he chose the path of a hermit, withdrawing to the mountains of Rila. Over time, his disciples gathered around his place of ascetic struggle, and the site became a spiritual center for monastic life.

From that setting emerged what is now the Rila Monastery—the largest Orthodox shrine in Bulgaria. UNESCO notes that the monastery was founded in the 10th century by Saint John himself, and that his cell and grave later became a sacred center with a major influence on the spiritual and public life of medieval Bulgaria. He is venerated as the founder of coenobitic monasticism in the country, and his image has remained one of the key symbols of Bulgarian Orthodox tradition for more than a millennium.

Saint John of Rila reposed around 946. His relics were transferred several times, but in 1469 they were returned to Rila Monastery, where they remain to this day.

During the celebrations, Patriarch Daniel called the presence of the Hawaii icon in Bulgaria “a great blessing,” saying that Saint John of Rila unites the faithful in their belief in God. The Patriarch also expressed gratitude to Ireneus, Bishop of London and Western Europe, and to Nektarios Youngson, the custodian of the Hawaii icon.