The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia. The recognition of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 927 AD makes the Bulgarian Orthodox Church the oldest autocephalous Orthodox Church in the world after the four Eastern Patriarchates: those of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The Republic of Bulgaria is a republic in the southeast of Europe. ... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... Events Hubaekje sacks the Silla capital of Gyeongju and places King Gyeongsun on the throne. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Orthodox Church of Alexandria is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches. ... The Antiochian Orthodox Church is one of the five churches that comprised the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church before the Great Schism, and today is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches. ... The Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, properly called the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, sees itself as the mother church of all of Christendom, because it was in Jerusalem that the Church was established on the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus...

Canonical Status and Organisation

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is an inseparable member of the one, holy, synodal and apostolic church and is organised as a self-governing body under the name of Patriarchate. It is divided into eleven dioceses within the boundaries of the Republic of Bulgaria and has jurisdiction over additional two dioceses for the Bulgarians in Western and Central Europe, the Americas, Canada and Australia. The dioceses of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church are divided into 58 church counties, which, in its turn, are subdivided into some 2,600 parishes. A patriarchate is the office or jurisdiction of a patriarch. ... Western Europe is distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. ... Historical lands and provinces in Central Europe Central Europe is the region of Europe between Eastern Europe and Western Europe. ... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ...

The supreme clerical, judicial and administrative power for the whole domain of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is exercised by the Holy Synod which includes the Patriarch and the diocesan prelates which are called by the name of metropolitans. Church life in the parishes is guided by the parish priests numbering some 1,500. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church also disposes of some 120 monasteries in Bulgaria with about 200 monks and nearly as many nuns. In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. ... In hierarchical Christian churches, the rank of metropolitan bishop, whose incumbent is usually called simply a metropolitan, apertains to the bishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of an old Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... In general, a nun is a female ascetic who chooses to voluntarily leave the world and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent. ...

Dioceses

Dioceses in Bulgaria:

• Diocese of Vidin (bulg.: Видинска епархия);

• Diocese of Vratsa (bulg.: Врачанска епархия);

• Diocese of Lovech (bulg.: Ловчанска епархия);

• Diocese of Veliko Turnovo (bulg.: Търновска епархия);

• Diocese of Dorostol and Cherven (bulg.: Доростоло-червенска епархия) (with seat in Ruse);

• Diocese of Varna and Preslav (bulg.: Варненско-преславска епархия) (with seat in Varna);

• Diocese of Sliven (bulg.: Сливенска епархия);

• Diocese of Stara Zagora (bulg.: Старозагорска епархия);

• Diocese of Plovdiv (bulg.: Пловдивска епархия);

• Diocese of Sofia (bulg.: Софийска епархия);

• Diocese of Nevrokop (bulg.: Неврокопска епархия);

Dioceses abroad: Vidin is a Bulgarian town. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... Veliko Turnovo(Cyrillic: Велико Търново, Great Turnovo) is a city of approximately 65,000 people in North-central Bulgaria, 240km north-east of Sofia. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... This article is about city of Ruse in Bulgaria. ... This article is about a city in Bulgaria. ... Preslav ( Bulgarian: Преслав) was capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... This article is about a city in Bulgaria. ... Sliven is a town in southeast Bulgaria. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... Ancient Theater, Plovdiv International Fair, Plovdiv Plovdiv is a city in Bulgaria and the capital of the Plovdiv Oblast (district). ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... National Theatre, Sofia Alexander Nevski Cathedral The city of Sofia (Bulgarian: София), at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930 (2003), and is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ...

• Diocese of Central and Western Europe (with seat in Berlin);
• Diocese of America, Canada and Australia (with seat in New York);

History of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Early Christianity

The St. George Rotunda (4th century AD), Sofia

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has its origin in the flourishing Christian communities and churches, set up in the Balkans as early as the first centuries of the Christian era. Christianity was brought to the Bulgarian lands and the rest of the Balkans by Apostle Paul in the 1st century AD when the first organised Christian communities were also formed. By the beginning of the 4th century, Christianity had become the dominant religion in the region and towns like Serdica (Sofia), Philipopolis (Plovdiv) and Adrianople (Edirne) were significant centres of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The Republic of Bulgaria is a republic in the southeast of Europe. ... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe (see the Definitions and boundaries section below). ... A 19th century picture of Paul of Tarsus Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Saint Paul the Apostle (fl. ... (1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century - other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 99. ... (3rd century - 4th century - 5th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... National Theatre, Sofia Alexander Nevski Cathedral The city of Sofia (Bulgarian: София), at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930 (2003), and is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... Ancient Theater, Plovdiv International Fair, Plovdiv Plovdiv is a city in Bulgaria and the capital of the Plovdiv Oblast (district). ... Edirne is a city in (Thrace), the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. ... The Roman Empire is not the Holy Roman Empire (843-1806). ...

The barbaric raids and incursions in the 4th and the 5th and the settlement of Slavs and Bulgars in the 6th and the 7th century wrought considerable damage to the ecclesiastical organisation of the Christian Church in the Bulgarian lands, yet they were far from destroying it. Christianity started to pave its way from the surviving Christian communities to the surrounding Slavic mass and by the middle of the 9th century, the majority of the Bulgarian Slavs, especially those living in Thrace and Macedonia, were already Christianised. The process of conversion also enjoyed some success among the Bulgar nobility. However, it was not until the official adoption of Christianity by Tsar Boris I in 865 that conditions for the establishment of an independent Bulgarian ecclesiastical entity were created. The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) a people of Central Asia, probably originally Pamirian, whose branches became Slavicized and perhaps Turkic over time. ... ( 8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Reign of Charlemagne, and concurrent (and controversially labeled) Carolingian Renaissance in western Europe Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The... Thrace is a historical and geographic area in south-east Europe spread over southern Bulgaria, north-eastern Greece, and European Turkey. ... The huge equestrian statue of Alexander the Great, king of ancient Macedon, on the waterfront at Thessaloniki, capital of Greek Macedonia Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in south-eastern Europe with an area of around 67,000 square kilometres and a population of 4. ... Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) a people of Central Asia, probably originally Pamirian, whose branches became Slavicized and perhaps Turkic over time. ... Tsar ( Bulgarian цар, Russian царь,  listen?; often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to... Boris I Michail or Boris I Michael (Bulgarian Борис I Михаил)(d. ... Events Ethelred succeeds as king of Wessex (or 866). ...

Establishment of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

From the very start Boris I was aware that the cultural advancement and the re-affirmation of the sovereignty and prestige of a Christian Bulgaria could be achieved through an enlightened and zealous clergy governed by an autocephalous church. To this end, he manoeuvred between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Roman Pope for a period of five years until the Eight Ecumenical Council granted in 870 AD the Bulgarians an autonomous Bulgarian archbishopric. The archbishopric had its seat in the Bulgarian capital of Pliska and its diocese covered the whole territory of the Bulgarian state. The pull-of-war between Rome and Constantinople was also resolved by putting the Bulgarian archbishopric under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople from whom it obtained its first primate, its clergy and theological books. In Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, an ecumenical council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. ... Events February 28 - End of the Fourth Council of Constantinople. ...

Although the archbishopric enjoyed full internal autonomy, the goals of Boris I were scarcely fulfilled. A Greek liturgy offered by a Byzantine clergy furthered neither the cultural development of the Bulgarians, nor the consolidation of the Bulgarian state; it would have eventually resulted in the loss of both the identity of the people and the statehood of Bulgaria. Thus, the arrival of the most distinguished disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Bulgaria in 886 came as a highly beneficial opportunity. Boris I entrusted the disciples with the task to instruct the future Bulgarian clergy in the Glagolitic alphabet and the Slavonic liturgy prepared by Cyril and based on the vernacular of the Bulgarian Slavs from the region of Thessaloniki. In 893, the Greek clergy was expelled from the country and the Greek language was replaced with the Slav-Bulgarian vernacular. Boris I Michail or Boris I Michael (Bulgarian Борис I Михаил)(d. ... The Greek language (Greek Ελληνικά, IPA – Hellenic) is an Indo-European language with a documented history of some 3,000 years. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Cyril and Methodius were two brothers who lived in the 9th century and became the missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples. ... The Republic of Bulgaria is a republic in the southeast of Europe. ... Events The Glagolitic alphabet, devised by Cyril and Methodius, missionairies from Constantinople, is adopted in the Bulgarian Empire. ... Glagolitic alphabet - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... See Saint Cyril (disambiguation) for other persons with this name. ... The White Tower The Arch of Galerius Map showing the Thessaloníki prefecture Thessaloníki (Θεσσαλονίκη) is the second-largest city of Greece and is the principal city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. ... Events Simeon I succeeds Vladimir as king of Bulgaria. ...

Autocephaly of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Ceramic icon of St. Theodor, Preslav, ca. 900 AD, National Archaelogical Museum, Sofia

Following two decisive victories over the Byzantines at Acheloy (near the present-day city of Burgas) and Katassyrti (near Constantinople), the autonomous Bulgarian Archbishopric was proclaimed autocephalous and elevated to the rank of Patriarchate at an ecclesiastical and national council held in 919. After Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire signed in 927 a peace treaty concluding the incessant, almost 20-year long war between them, the Patriarchate of Constantinople recognised the autocephalous status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and acknowledged its patriarchal dignity. Thus, the Bulgarian Patriarchate became the fifth autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church after the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Its autocephalous status preceded the autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church (1346) by well over 400 years and of the Russian Orthodox Church (1596) by some 600 years. The seat of the Patriarchate was the new Bulgarian capital of Preslav although the Patriarch is likely to have resided in the town of Drastar (Silistra), an old Christian centre famous for its martyrs and Christian traditions. St. ... St. ... Burgas, Bulgaria Burgas Bay, Bulgaria Burgas (or Bourgas, Bulgarian: Бургас) is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Events King Edward I of England conquers Bedford. ... Events Hubaekje sacks the Silla capital of Gyeongju and places King Gyeongsun on the throne. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Orthodox Church of Alexandria is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches. ... The Antiochian Orthodox Church is one of the five churches that comprised the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church before the Great Schism, and today is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches. ... The Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, properly called the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, sees itself as the mother church of all of Christendom, because it was in Jerusalem that the Church was established on the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus... Early history The Serbs migrated to the Balkans during the reign of Byzantine emperor Heraclius (610-641). ... Events Foundation of the University of Valladolid Foundation of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge August 26 Battle of Crecy after which Edward the Black Prince honored the bravery of John I, Count of Luxemburg and King of Bohemia also known as John the BLIND! who was killed in the fighting... Saint Basils Cathedral, a well-known Russian Orthodox church situated in Moscow The Russian Orthodox Church (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... Events April 9 - Spanish troops capture Calais July 14 - King Dominicus (Domingos) Corea was behaded by the Portugese in Colombo Ceylon September 17 - The Spanish capture Amiens September 20 - Diego de Montemayor founded the city of Monterrey, Mexico. ... Preslav ( Bulgarian: Преслав) was capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972. ... Silistra (a. ...

The Ohrid Archbishopric

St. Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria (1078-1107) and author of the hagiography of Saint Clement of Ohrid

On April 5, 972, Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimisces conquered and burned down Preslav capturing Bulgarian Tsar Boris II. Patriarch Damyan managed to escape, initially to Sredetz (Sofia) in western Bulgaria. In the coming years, the residence of the Bulgarian patriarchs remained closely connected to the developments in the war between the next Bulgarian monarchist dynasty, the Comitopuli, and the Byzantine Empire. Thus, Patriarch German resided consecutively in Voden (Edessa), Maglen and Prespa (both in present-day north-western Greece). Around 990, the next patriarch, Philip, moved to Ohrid, which also became the permanent seat of the Patriarchate. See also Theophylact, Count of Tusculum. ... Saint Clement of Ohrid Saint Clement of Ohrid (ca. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... Events Otto II marries Theophanu, Byzantine princess. ... John I, last name Kourkouas and surnamed Tzimisces (Greek: Ioannes Tzimisces Kourkouas, written Ιωάννης «Τζιμισκής» Κουρκούας), lived c. ... Preslav ( Bulgarian: Преслав) was capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972. ... Tsar ( Bulgarian цар, Russian царь,  listen?; often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to... Czar Boris II of Bulgaria, the son of Czar Bulgaria ruled for three years (969_972). ... National Theatre, Sofia Alexander Nevski Cathedral The city of Sofia (Bulgarian: София), at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930 (2003), and is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Greece, officaly called the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ... Events Construction of the Al-Hakim Mosque begins in Cairo. ... Ohrid is a city in western Macedonia, on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid. ...

After the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantium domination in 1018, Emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonus (the “Bulgar-Slayer”) acknowledged the autocephalous status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and by virtue of special charters (royal decrees) set up its boundaries, dioceses, property and other privileges. The church was, however, deprived of its Patriarchal title and reduced to the rank of an archbishopric. Although the first appointed archbishop (John of Debar) was a Bulgarian, his successors, as well as the whole higher clergy, were invariably Greeks. The monks and the ordinary priests remained, however, predominantly Bulgarian, thus allowing the archbishopric to preserve to a large extent its national character, to uphold the Slavonic liturgy and to continue its contribution to the development of the Bulgarian literature. The autocephaly of the Ohrid Archbishopric remained respected during the periods of Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian and Ottoman rule and the church continued to exist under the name “Archbishopric of the Justiniana Prima and all Bulgaria” until its unlawful abolition in 1767. Events Bulgaria becomes part of the Byzantine Empire. ... Painting of Basil II, from an 11th century manuscript. ... Events The Burmese army captures the Thai capital of Ayutthaya, and destroys the city. ...

The Turnovo Patriarchate

As a results of the successful uprising of the brothers Theodore I Peter and Ivan Asen I in 1185/1186, the foundation of the Second Bulgarian State were laid with Turnovo as its capital. Following Boris I’s principle that the sovereignty of the state is inextricably linked to the autocephaly of the Church, the two brothers immediately took steps for the restoration of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. As a start, an independent archbishopric was established in Turnovo in 1186. The struggle for the recognition of the archbishopric according to the existing canonical order and its elevation to the rank of a Patriarchate took, however, almost 50 years. Following the example of Boris I, Bulgarian Tsar Kaloyan manoeuvred for years between the Patriarch of Constantinople and Pope Innocent III until the latter finally proclaimed the Turnovo Archbishop Vassily “Primate and Archbishop of all Bulgaria and Walachia” in 1203. The union with the Roman Catholic Church continued for well over three decades. Events April 25 - Genpei War - Sea Battle of Dan-no-ura leads to Minamoto victory in Japan Templars settle in London and begin the building of New Temple Church End of the Heian Period and beginning of the Kamakura period in Japan. ... Events John the Chanter becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... Categories: Bulgaria geography stubs | Regions of Bulgaria ... Boris I Michail or Boris I Michael (Bulgarian Борис I Михаил)(d. ... Categories: Bulgaria geography stubs | Regions of Bulgaria ... Events John the Chanter becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... Boris I Michail or Boris I Michael (Bulgarian Борис I Михаил)(d. ... Tsar ( Bulgarian цар, Russian царь,  listen?; often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to... Kaloyan Asen, Kalojan, Johannizza, John, The Romankiller (c. ... Innocent III, né Lotario de Conti ( 1161–June 16, 1216), was Pope from January 8, 1198 until his death. ... For the use of the word primate in biology, see primate (biology). ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ... Events April 16 - Philip II of France enters Rouen, leading to the eventual unification of Normandy and France. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331-1371), an illustration from the Four Gospels of Tsar Ivan Alexander (the London Gospel), ca. 1356, the British Library

Under the reign of Tsar Ivan Asen II (1218-1241), conditions finally were created for the termination of the union with Rome and for the recognition of the autocephalous status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. In 1235 a church council was convened in the town of Lampsakos. Under the presidency of by Patriarch Germanius II of Constantinople and with the consent of all Eastern Patriarchs, the council confirmed the Patriarchal dignity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and consecrated the Bulgarian archbishop German Patriarch. Tsar ( Bulgarian цар, Russian царь,  listen?; often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to... Ivan Asen II (Ioan Asen II) (1218–1241), tsar of Bulgaria, was the son of Kaloyan, founder of the Second Bulgarian Empire. ... Events Damietta is besieged by the knights of the Fifth Crusade. ... Events April 5 - Mongols of Golden Horde under the command of Subotai defeat feudal polish nobility, including Knights Templar, in the battle of Liegnitz April 27 - Mongols defeat Bela IV of Hungary in the battle of Sajo. ... Events Anglo-Norman invasion of Connacht St. ...

Despite the shrinking of the diocese of the Turnovo Patriarchate at the end of the 13th century, its authority in the Eastern Orthodox world remained high. It was the Patriarch of Turnovo who confirmed the patriarchal dignity of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1346, despite protests by the Constantinople. It was also under the wing of the Patriarchate that the Turnovo Literary School developed in the 14th century with scholars of the rank of Patriarch Evtimiy, Grigorii Tsamblak, Konstantin of Kostenets. A considerable upsurge was noted in the field of literature, architecture, and painting, the religious and theological literature flourished. Early history The Serbs migrated to the Balkans during the reign of Byzantine emperor Heraclius (610-641). ... Events Foundation of the University of Valladolid Foundation of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge August 26 Battle of Crecy after which Edward the Black Prince honored the bravery of John I, Count of Luxemburg and King of Bohemia also known as John the BLIND! who was killed in the fighting... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Turnovo Literary School was a Bulgarian literary school in the 14th century. ... Elected as Patriarch in 1375. ...

After the fall of Turnovo under the Ottomans in 1393 and the sending of Patriarch Evtimiy into exile, the autocephalous church organization was destroyed once again. The Bulgarian diocese was subordinated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The other Bulgarian religious centre – the Ohrid Archbishopric – managed to survive a few centuries more (until 1767), as a stronghold of faith and piety. Categories: Bulgaria geography stubs | Regions of Bulgaria ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923... Events Ottoman Turks occupy Veliko Turnovo in north-central Bulgaria. ... Elected as Patriarch in 1375. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric was formed in 2002 following a failure in negociations between the Serb Orthodox Church and the canonically-unconstitutional and unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC). ... Events The Burmese army captures the Thai capital of Ayutthaya, and destroys the city. ...

Ottoman rule

The period of the Ottoman rule was the hardest in the history of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, to the same extent to which it was also the hardest in the history of the Bulgarian people. During and immediately after the Ottoman conquest, the vast majority of the Bulgarian churches and monasteries, including the Patriarchal Cathedral church of the Holy Ascension in Turnovo, were razed to the ground, with most of the surviving ones being turned into mosques. Most of the clergy perished, while the intelligentsia around the Turnovo Literary School fled to neighbouring Serbia, Wallachia, Moldova or to Russia. Categories: Bulgaria geography stubs | Regions of Bulgaria ... A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... The Turnovo Literary School was a Bulgarian literary school in the 14th century. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... This article refers to the Republic of Moldova. ...

St. George, the Newmartyr of Sofia, icon from the 19th century

The Church gave a number of martyrs as many districts and almost all larger towns in the Bulgarian provinces of the Ottoman Empire were subjected to forceful conversion to Islam as early as the first years after the conquest. Stunning were the feats of St. George of Kratovo (+1515), St. Nicholas of Sofia (+1515), Bishop Vissarion of Smolen (+1670), Damaskin of Gabrovo (+1771), St. Zlata of Muglen (+1795), St. John the Bulgarian (+1814), St. Ignatius of Stara Zagora (+1814), St. Onouphry of Gabrovo (+1818) and of many others who perished defending their faith. The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923... Islam ( Arabic al-islām الإسلام,  listen?) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... National Theatre, Sofia Alexander Nevski Cathedral The city of Sofia (Bulgarian: София), at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930 (2003), and is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... Gabrovo municipality is located in Northern Bulgaria, in Gabrovo micro region. ... Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria. ... Gabrovo municipality is located in Northern Bulgaria, in Gabrovo micro region. ...

The virtual decapitation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was further emphasised by its full subordination to the Patriarch of Constantinople. The millet system in the Ottoman Empire granted a number of important civil and judicial functions to the Patriarch of Constantinople and the diocesan metropolitans. As the higher Bulgarian church clerics were replaced by Greek ones at the very beginning of the Ottoman domination, the Bulgarian population was subjected before long to double oppression – political by the Ottomans and cultural by the Greek clergy. With the rise of Greek nationalism in the second half of the 18th century, the cultural oppression turned into an open assimilatory policy which was aimed at imposing the Greek language and a Greek consciousness on the emerging Bulgarian bourgeoisie and which used as its basic tool the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The opening of a number of schools with all-round Greek language curriculum and the virtual banning of the Bulgarian liturgy at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century threatened the very survival of the Bulgarians as a separate nation with its own, distinct national culture. The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923... The Greek language (Greek Ελληνικά, IPA – Hellenic) is an Indo-European language with a documented history of some 3,000 years. ... The Greek language (Greek Ελληνικά, IPA – Hellenic) is an Indo-European language with a documented history of some 3,000 years. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Rila Monastery

If something was, however, instrumental in the preservation of the Bulgarian language and the Bulgarian national consciousness throughout the centuries of Ottoman domination, it was the Bulgarian monasteries, especially the Zograph and Hilendar Monasteries on Mount Athos, as well as the Rila, Troyan, Etropole, Dryanovo, Cherepish and Dragalevtsi Monasteries in Bulgaria. The monasteries managed to preserve their national character and continued the traditions of the Slavonic liturgy and the Bulgarian literature. They also kept monastery schools and carried out other educational activities, which, if not more, managed to keep the flame of the Bulgarian culture burning until better times came. One of the 20 monasteries on Mount Athos Mount Athos is a mountain and a peninsula in Macedonia, northern Greece, called Άγιο Όρος (Ayio Oros or Holy Mountain) in Modern Greek, or Ἅγιον Ὄρος (Hagion Oros) in Classical Greek. ... The Rila Monastery (Bulgarian Рилски Манастир, Rilski Manastir) was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. ...

The Bulgarian Exarchate

In 1762, St. Paissiy of Hilendar (1722-1773), a monk from the south-western Bulgarian town of Bansko, wrote a short historical work which, apart from being the first work written in the Modern Bulgarian vernacular, was also the first ardent call for a national awakening. In History of Slav-Bulgarians, Paissiy urged his compatriots to throw off the subjugation to the Greek language and culture. The example of Paissiy was followed by a number of other awakeners, including St. Sophroniy of Vratsa (Sofroni Vrachanski) (1739-1813), hieromonk Spiridon of Gabrovo, hieromonk Yoakim Kurchovski (+1820), hieromonk Kiril Peichinovich (+1845). Events Neolin begins to preach. ... Events Abraham De Moivre states De Moivres theorem connecting trigonometric functions and complex numbers Publication of the first book of Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier Fall of Persias Safavid dynasty during a bloody revolt of the Afghani people. ... Events January 12 - The first American museum open to the public is opened in (Charleston, South Carolina). ... Bansko is a small town in the Blagoevgrad district located at the foot of the Pirin mountain in southwestern Bulgaria at an altitude of 936 m above sea level. ... Events March 20 - Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne, including the Kohinoor September 9 - Stono Rebellion erupts near Charleston September 18 - Treaty of Belgrade signed October 3 - Treaty of Nissa signed October 23 - Great Britain declares war on Spain. ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

The result of the work of Paissiy and his followers began before long to give fruit. Discontent with the supremacy of the Greek clergy started to flare up in several Bulgarian dioceses as early as the 1820s. It was not, however, until the 1850 that the Bulgarians initiated a purposeful struggle against the Greek clerics in a number of bishoprics demanding their replacement with Bulgarian ones. By that time, most Bulgarian religious leaders had realised that any further struggle for the rights of the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire could not succeed unless they managed to obtain at least some degree of autonomy from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. As the Ottomans identified nationality with religion and the Bulgarians were Eastern Orthodox, they were automatically added to the “Roum-Milet”, i.e., the Greeks. Thus, if the Bulgarians wanted to have Bulgarian schools and liturgy in Bulgarian, they needed an independent ecclesiastical organisation. Events and Trends Nationalistic independence movements helped reshape the world during this decade: Greece declares independence from the Ottoman Empire (1821). ... Events January 4 - The first American ice-skating club is formed (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). ... The Bulgarians are a southern Slavic people generally associated with Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Greeks are the people who have populated Greece from the 17th century BCE until the present day. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages, along with Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovenian. ...

Borders of the Bulgarian Exarchate (1870-1912): bishoprics (in red) and vicariates (red diagonal stripes)

The struggle between the Bulgarians, led by Neofit Bozveli and Ilarion Makariopolski, and the Greeks intensified throughout the 1860s. As the Greek clerics were ousted from most Bulgarian bishoprics at the end of the decade, the whole of northern Bulgaria, as well as the northern parts of Thrace and Macedonia had, by all intents and purposes, seceded from the Patriarchate. In recognition of that, the Ottoman government restored the once unlawfully destroyed Bulgarian Patriarchate under the name of "Bulgarian Exarchate" by a decree (firman) of the Sultan promulgated on February 28th, 1870. The original Exarchate extended over present-day northern Bulgaria (Moesia), Thrace without the Vilayet of Adrianople, as well as over north-eastern Macedonia. After the Christian population of the bishoprics of Skopje and Ohrid voted in 1874 overwhelmingly in favour of joining the Exarchate (Skopje by 91%, Ohrid by 97%), the Bulgarian Exarchate became in control of the whole of Vardar and Pirin Macedonia. The Exarchate was also represented in the whole of southern Macedonia and the Vilayet of Adrianople by vicars. Thus, the borders of the Exarchate included all Bulgarian districts in the Ottoman Empire. Events and trends Italian unification under King Victor Emmanuel II. Wars for expansion and national unity continue until the incorporation of the Papal States (March 17, 1861 - September 20, 1870). ... Thrace is a historical and geographic area in south-east Europe spread over southern Bulgaria, north-eastern Greece, and European Turkey. ... The huge equestrian statue of Alexander the Great, king of ancient Macedon, on the waterfront at Thessaloniki, capital of Greek Macedonia Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in south-eastern Europe with an area of around 67,000 square kilometres and a population of 4. ... Firman refers to a royal mandate or decree issued from a sovereign in Western Asian countries such as Iran under the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi or the Ottoman kings. ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic monarch ruling under the terms of shariah. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... In ancient geography, Moesia was a district inhabited by a Thracian people. ... Thrace is a historical and geographic area in south-east Europe spread over southern Bulgaria, north-eastern Greece, and European Turkey. ... The huge equestrian statue of Alexander the Great, king of ancient Macedon, on the waterfront at Thessaloniki, capital of Greek Macedonia Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in south-eastern Europe with an area of around 67,000 square kilometres and a population of 4. ... Modern Skopje Skopje (Albanian: Shkup, Macedonian: Скопје) is the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia. ... Ohrid is a city in western Macedonia, on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid. ... Events January - April January 1 - New York City annexes The Bronx January 23 - Marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria, to Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, only daughter of Emperor Alexander III of Russia. ... National motto: None Official languages Macedonian2 Capital Skopje President Branko Crvenkovski Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 145th 25,713 km² 1. ... Categories: Regions of Bulgaria | Macedonia | Bulgaria geography stubs ... The region called Macedonia (or Makedonia) in Greece is a large section of the north-northwestern part of the country which collectivally with Thrace, is forming Northern Greece. ... Edirne is a city in (Thrace), the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923...

The decision on the secession of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was far from well accepted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople which promptly declared the Bulgarian Exarchate schismatic and declared its adherents heretics. Although there was nothing non-canonical about the status and the guiding principles of the Exarchate, the Patriarchate argued that “surrender of Orthodoxy to ethnic nationalism” was essentially a manifestation of heresy. The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

The first Bulgarian Exarch was Antim I who was elected by the Holy Synod of the Exarchate in February, 1872. He was discharged by the Ottoman government immediately after the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 on April 24, 1877, and was sent into exile in Ankara. Under the guidance of his successor, Joseph I, the Exarchate managed to develop and considerably extend its church and school network in the Bulgarian Principality, Eastern Rumelia, Macedonia and the Adrianople Vilayet. On the eve of the Balkan Wars, in Macedonia and the Adrianople Vilayet alone, the Bulgarian Exarchate disposed of seven dioceses with prelates and eight more with acting chairmen in charge and 38 vicariates, 1,218 parishes and 1,212 parish priests, 64 monasteries and 202 chapels, as well as of 1 373 schools with 2,266 teachers and 78,854 pupils. Events January - April January 2 - Brigham Young, is arrested for bigamy (25 wives). ... The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had its origins in the Russian goal of gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea and dominating Constantinople (Istanbul) and the adjacent Turkish Straits. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Ankara from the Atakule Tower, looking N-NE Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the countrys second largest city after Istanbul. ... Flag of Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia was a province of the Ottoman Empire that achieved a semi-autonomous status under the Treaty of Berlin, 1878, which revised the Treaty of San Stefano between Russia and the Ottomans a few months earlier. ... The huge equestrian statue of Alexander the Great, king of ancient Macedon, on the waterfront at Thessaloniki, capital of Greek Macedonia Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in south-eastern Europe with an area of around 67,000 square kilometres and a population of 4. ... The outcome as of April 1914 The Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912- 1913 in the course of which the Balkan League ( Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bulgaria) first conquered Ottoman-held Macedonia and most of Thrace and then fell out over the division of the...

After World War I, by virtue of the peace treaties, the Bulgarian Exarchate was deprived of its dioceses in Macedonia and Aegean Thrace. Exarch Joseph I transferred his offices from Istanbul to Sofia as early as 1913. After the death of Joseph I in 1915, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was not in a position to elect its regular head for a total of three decades. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The huge equestrian statue of Alexander the Great, king of ancient Macedon, on the waterfront at Thessaloniki, capital of Greek Macedonia Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in south-eastern Europe with an area of around 67,000 square kilometres and a population of 4. ... Thrace is a historical and geographic area in south-east Europe spread over southern Bulgaria, north-eastern Greece, and European Turkey. ... This article needs cleanup. ... National Theatre, Sofia Alexander Nevski Cathedral The city of Sofia (Bulgarian: София), at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930 (2003), and is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Second restoration of the Bulgarian Patriarchate

Sofia's metropolitan cathedral, St. Alexander Nevskiy

Conditions for the restoration of the Bulgarian Patriarchate and the election of head of the Bulgarian Church were created after World War II. In 1945 the schism was lifted and the Patriarch of Constantinople recognised the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Church. In 1950, the Holy Synod adopted a new Statute which paved the way for the restoration of the Patriarchate and in 1953, it elected the Metropolitan of Plovdiv, Cyril, Bulgarian Patriarch. After the death of Patriarch Cyril in 1971, the Church elected in his place the Metropolitan of Lovech, Maxim, who is the current Bulgarian Patriarch. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Sofia - Photo User:MPF File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Sofia - Photo User:MPF File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Events January January 5 - US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 - The United Kingdom recognizes the Peoples Republic of China. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

External links

• The official website of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (http://bulch.tripod.com/boc/mainpage.htm)
• History of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church according to the Catholic Encyclopaedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03046a.htm)
• A short history of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church by CNEWA, the papal agency for humanitarian and pastoral support (http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-bulgaria.htm)
• The Bulgarian Orthodox Church according to Overview of World Religions (http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/christ/east/bulgorth.html)