Neophyte of Rila

Neophyte of Rila is the first teacher in the first Bulgarian school established in 1835 in Gabrovo. He was sent by the founder – Vasil Aprilov, to study the new educational method so that he could apply it with the Bulgarian students. The concept of the method of mutual teaching was that more advanced students were passing down the knowledge to the younger ones by using tables and grammar books. Later in life Neophyte was offered teaching positions in numerous schools but he declined all of them and retreated to the Rila Monastery, nearby Blagoevgrad. He dedicated the rest of his life to writing books about the Bulgarian language and the life in the Rila Monastery. The mark he left in the history of the local community is remembered through the school and the university in Blagoevgrad that are named after him.