02 — The Hermit of Rila
The decades of solitude that gave St. John his name and his sanctity: the asceticism of the Rila wilderness, and the paradox by which the man who fled all society became a center to which a whole people was drawn.
Tradition: Bulgarian Orthodox
This section treats the central and longest stretch of John’s life — the hidden years in the Rila mountains — and the “holy man” phenomenon by which that hiddenness produced fame, disciples, and a cult.
Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| the-wilderness-years.md | The Rila massif; the cave and the hollow tree; the diet of wild plants and the miraculous beans; the fasting, vigils, and demonic temptations of the ascetic life. |
| the-holy-man-and-the-wild.md | The hermit as Byzantine “holy man” in the Bulgarian highlands; the healings and provision the Lives ascribe to him; the paradox of the solitary who drew a nation. |
See Also
- 01 — Foundations — the flight into the wilderness that these years continue
- 03 — The Gathering of Disciples — the community drawn to the hidden hermit
- 05 — The Encounter with Tsar Peter — the tsar drawn by the same renown
- Master README — the full collection