This great ascetic and beacon of the Orthodox Church was born in Skrin, near Sofia. After the death of his parents, he became a monk and went away to a remote forest to practice asceticism. He suffered many hardships, both from demons and from robbers and his own relatives. Then he moved to the Rila Mountains, where he settled in a hollow tree. He ate grass and beans, which began to grow there by God's providence. For many years he did not see a person, until shepherds discovered him. Thus he became famous and people began to come to him seeking comfort and medicine. Even the Bulgarian Tsar Peter himself came to him for advice. Many ascetics settled near him, and a monastery was built there. He rested peacefully in 946. His relics are in the Rila Monastery.

Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus. Hieromartyr Emilian.