Case file · Apparition / miracle
Saint Ivan of Rila, hermit of the mountains
The hermit Ivan of Rila, who died in 946, lived in a cave in the Rila mountains, and his reputation for healing drew disciples who founded the Rila Monastery.
946 CE · 42.13, 23.34 · status: legend
The account
His lives say Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria came to see him, and his relics were credited with miracles as they moved between Sofia, Esztergom, Tarnovo and back to Rila in 1469. Pilgrims still crawl through a narrow hole in his cave, which is said to reveal who is free of sin.
The sceptical view
The miracles are hagiographic; Ivan's existence and the monastery are historical.