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 died on September 7, 1186, and was buried in the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in the west gallery, next to the Predtechenskaia Porch.

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.

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.