Bulgaria - Eastern Europe - page 90

Kissing the Bones of a Well-Traveled Saint
John of Rila (aka Ivan Rilski) died in 946 at 66. His devoted and grieving follow-
ers virtually deified his corpse, which was sent to Sofia. Stolen as plunder by the
Hungarian King Bela III in 1183, the relic (or what remained of it) was returned
5 years later (apparently it had made a Catholic bishop blind after the bishop
denied the bones were those of a saint) only to then make its way to Veliko
Tarnovo in 1194. St. John of Rila finally came home in 1469, but his respite was
short; a century later his right hand was removed and toured Russia, distribut-
ing miracles and earning funds for the monastery. St. John's left hand is now
kept in the church, and is believed to have healing powers—you can ask one of
the monks to draw back the velvet cover to reveal the glass box under which
the yellowed bones still miraculously gleam, but note that you will then have
to kiss it as a sign of respect. Wads of cotton-wool, kept on a pedestal nearby,
are said to have become imbued with healing power because of their proxim-
ity to the hand—pilgrims who take a piece to place near a source of pain appar-
ently experience real relief.
including the spartan and less-than-spotless monastery cells, make for a happy holiday
experience. The same is not true for dining; the monk-run bakery just outside the
monastery sells the best Bulgarian doughnuts and delicious yogurt. If you're ready for a
full meal, keep space for these as a takeout dessert and grab a table at the Drushliavitsa
restaurant (open daily 8am-11pm), perched above the monastery to the one side of the
its namesake river, with a small outdoor terrace. This is by far the best place to eat in the
area, serving fresh trout, the mildly spiced local sausage (kebabche), and the most won-
derful firm yellow-fleshed potato chips; bread is baked fresh daily by the monastery bak-
ery. Despite being next to Bulgaria's top inland attraction, the most expensive item is
5lev/$3.50/£1.75.
Tips: Monastery gates open at dawn and close at dusk; try to get here at 7am (or
8am, depending on time of year) to catch the early morning service; there's a good
chance you'll be the only visitor here, watching a ritual that has been witnessed by
these walls, every day, for some 200 years. On Thursdays the morning service is dedi-
cated to St. John; the beautiful liturgical chanting that accompanies this service dates
from the 15th century. Avoid the weekends when the natural tranquillity of the
monastery is all but ruined by the huge number of visitors. The same goes for the two
main festivals celebrated here on August 18 (St. John's birthday) and October 19 (his
feast day).
MELNIK
186km (115 miles) from Sofia
Once a thriving outpost, Melnik boasted a population of 20,000 predominantly
Greek citizens (it's a mere 15km/9 1 ⁄ 3 miles from the border with Greece) before the
Second Balkan War of 1913; hard to believe when you first turn into the sandstone
gorge to see the tiny village that is today home to a mere 270.
Set amid numerous pyramid-shaped sandstone outcroppings that create a jagged
mountainous backdrop, Melnik is officially designated as a historical Reserve but is
atypical of the country's National Revival-era museum towns, with none of the lush