Chronicle of Bulgarian Orthodox Church

published on 12/23/10 2:01 PM

Bishops Ilarion Makariopolski,Avxentii Veleshki and Paisii Plovdivski - key figures in the struggle for the independence of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (a mosaic)

Photo: Архив

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church marked several anniversaries in 2010: 1140 years since its establishment, 150 years since the so-called Bulgarian Easter, which marked the beginning of Bulgaria’s struggle for liberation and independence, as well as 140 years since the establishment of Bulgarian Exarchate. In 2010 the book “Chronicle of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – History and People” was published. The book not only presents the history of the Bulgarian church but also its Patriarch, and bishops. Author of the book is professor theologian Georgi Bakalov. The book includes 3000 color photos of priests, monasteries, churches, art object, some of which never seen before. Recently this chronicle was presented in the European Parliament in Brussels.

“For a long time the Bulgarian identity was defined by the orthodox faith,” professor Bakalov says. “The Bulgarian Orthodox Church was established in 870 and since then it has been part of the Bulgarian identity. People used to think that one couldn’t be a Bulgarian without being an Orthodox Christian. This mixture of religious beliefs and national identity is typical for the Balkan region, as Balkan peoples were ruled for nearly 500 years by the Ottoman Empire, characterized by great cultural differences, as well as religion.
The identity of the Bulgarians is connected to the church, which has been playing a key role in the history of the country. The golden century of Medieval Bulgaria during the reign of Tsar Simeon, was very much related to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. When Bulgaria was conquered by the Byzantine Empire in 1018, Emperor Basil II kept the autonomy of the Bulgarian church, which easily preserved the Bulgarian identity during the Byzantine rule, which was much different than the oppressions during the Ottoman rule. The time of the Bulgarian National Revival was characterized by struggle for independent Bulgarian education, for independent Bulgarian Church, and political liberation. Bulgaria managed to fulfill two of the goals by itself. Bulgaria established independent schools and an independent Church. Political freedom was achieved through the help of others. Bulgarians knew that without an independent church to keep the traditions of the past, no progress could be expected in the future. So the Bulgarian church has also been close to the people and their will.”

The introduction to the book is by the Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop of Constantinople Bartholomew. Professor Bakalov told us more:
“In the period 1870-1945 the Ecumenical Patriarchate viewed the Bulgarian church as schismatic. After the schism was lifted the way for restoration of the Bulgarian Patriarchate in 1953 was paved. The fact that the Ecumenical Patriarch writes an introduction clearly demonstrates that we are part of the big orthodox family.”

Researcher Boris Tsatsov compiled the Chronicle.
“It took 4 year to compile it,” he says. “A number of people have helped in the process. Almost all bishoprics provided photos and information. 90% of the photos have not been shown before. They cannot be seen in museums because they are very fragile. The team that compiled the book was actually very big. This amount of work cannot be done by one man only.”

Mr. Tsatsov has seen thousands of valuable historical objects. He told us more:
“An interesting fact is that for the first time the document or ‘tomos’ which lifted the schism of 1872 has been published. This is the official recognition of the independence of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. I was also very impressed by the ‘engolpion’ (an icon worn upon the bosom), which belonged to Bulgarian Exarch Joseph. It is incredible that this great man wore it and I could touch it.”

English: Alexander Markov

По публикацията работи: Iliana Raicheva

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Chronicle of Bulgarian Orthodox Church

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