A valley full of roses, stills not producing some hard liquor but the most fragrant oil, the stuff of the Orient on the edge of Europe.  This, amongst many other things, was what we discovered when a group of pilgrims from the Cathedral made a journey around Bulgaria.  Many people have asked us why we were going to Bulgaria, what the big shrine was that we were heading for, which saint we were off to venerate.  The truth was that whilst we did go to the place where the protector of Bulgaria is now buried, the beautiful Rila Monastery, which houses the bones of St Ivan Rilski, it was not that kind of pilgrimage.

Paul Young had a hit back in 1983 with the song ‘Wherever I hang my hat that’s my home’ with the chorus

For I’m the type of boy

Who is always on the roam

Wherever I lay my hat

That’s my home.

This pilgrimage felt a bit like that, always on the move and the place where we were was the place we were meant to be.  But there was also purpose in this holy journey and that was visiting the most amazing monasteries that in many ways have survived years of Soviet domination and the subsequent rise of a generation who may not have the same close relationship with the faith that previous generations did.  But whilst the number of worshipping Christians is reduced – and where in the west is that not the case – the church is still there and still witnessing to a faith and a life that is lived alongside the saints.

The pilgrims outside the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia

The pilgrims outside the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia

Before you even get into the monastic church you are greeted with external walls beautifully decorated with saints and, just to keep your feet on the ground as you arrive to share in the Liturgy, vivid depictions of the last judgement.  There are angels guiding the holy souls whilst holding scales in their hands and little demons clinging onto those same scales in an attempt to tip the balance in the direction of the eternal flames which flow into the mouth of the beast.  It’s all sobering stuff and it was designed to be.  Because when you enter past this warning you are met with the most glorious vision of heaven, the walls, not an inch left without decoration and the gold, glinting in the candle light.  In one place the narthex ceiling was twinkling with gold stars, everywhere Christ Pantocrator was reigning from the principal dome.

The main dome in Bachkovo Monastery

The main dome in Bachkovo Monastery

And the roses? Well, Bulgaria, so we were told, is one of the principal producers of the finest organic pure rose oil from the Damask Roses brought from the Middle East.  The oil is used by the perfumers in Paris and elsewhere to make the sweetest perfumes.  But, of course rose oil also finds its way into worship, in the oils that make the best incense which is burnt to represent our prayers, to signify holiness and offering, to be the fragrance in which worship is offered.

Mural in the rose oil distillery

Mural in the rose oil distillery

This blog is called ‘Hearts on Fire’ and that, of course, is a reference to the response that the encounter with the risen Lord Jesus had with those disciples who were on the road to Emmaus.  St Luke tells the story and how Jesus was made known in the breaking of the bread.  But the two who encountered the stranger also said ‘Did not our hearts burn within us?’ When we are drawn into the nearer presence of Jesus it is heart-thrilling, we light up, are illuminated with the light of Christ, we are like Moses standing before the Burning Bush, removing the sandals from our feet so that we can stand directly on holy ground.

Mural in the rose oil distillery

Mural in the rose oil distillery

At a dinner table a phial of ointment was broken open and a woman anointed Jesus and we are told that “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:1-3).  For the pilgrims the sweet smell of the rose oil distillery and the sweetness and the intensity of both the churches and the liturgy within them, made this not just a journey but a true pilgrimage, a heart-stopping encounter with the God who journeys with us.

God of our pilgrimage, by the fragrance of our worship and the goodness of our lives, may we make your presence known so that world is infused with your love. Amen.

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land, led by Bishop Christopher, the Bishop of Southwark, with Bishop Paul Hendricks, Assistant Bishop in the Southwark Roman Catholic Archdiocese, as well as Andrew Nunn, the Dean of Southwark, and Michael Branch, the new Dean of St George’s Cathedral, will take place from 27 February – 6 March 2023. Find out more at southwark.anglican.org/news-events/events/whats-on/pilgrimage-to-the-holy-land-2023.