Ilya carried out a number of construction projects in Novgorod along with his brother, Gavril (also known as Grigorii), who succeeded him as archbishop (1186–1193) and consecrated the Khutyn Monastery, among other things.

Ilya appears in a number of medieval tales (some of them set centuries after his death) as the quintessential archbishop of Novgorod.

The most famous tale depicts him conquering a devil and forcing it to transform itself into a horse and fly him to Jerusalem and back in a single night.

[5] This tale was developed to explain how a chapel matching the exact measurements of the Holy Sepulchre was established in the Cathedral.

He is shown bringing the Icon of Our Lady of the Sign from the Church of the Transfiguration on Ilin Street to the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom during the Suzdalian siege of the city in 1169.