Rila · Rila Mountains · Bulgaria

The Cave of Saint John of Rila

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easy

10/10

best: morning, any season

mystical, forested, pilgrimage

A local would say...

Squeeze through a hole in a cave roof — if you fit, you haven't sinned enough to worry about. Bulgaria's patron saint is buried below.

A short forest hike from Rila Monastery leads to the cave where Bulgaria's patron saint, the 10th-century hermit Ivan Rilski, lived and was buried. The cave contains a narrow aperture in the roof through which pilgrims attempt to squeeze — legend holds that those who pass through have not sinned. The associated St Luke's Hermitage (1798) features a large courtyard and small church along the same footpath.