Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Renovated Bulgarian St. Stephen Church in Istanbul solemnly opened

| updated on 1/7/18 11:06 AM
Photo: Alexander Velev

With a solemn ceremony by Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the renovated Bulgarian church "St. Stephen" in Istanbul, also known as the Iron Church, has been solemnly reopened.

Before that the patriarchs blessed the church that had undergone complete renovation, which took 7 years. Bulgarian delegation, headed by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, was present at the official ceremony. In front of the Christian temple, Borissov met the Turkish delegation, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

Earlier on Sunday, asked by reporters if the road of Turkey to Europe passed through Bulgaria, Prime Minister Borissov said that peace and improvement of relations between Turkey and Europe provided solutions to many issues and Bulgaria, which has taken the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, could help for that.

In his speech during the opening of the renovated St. Stephen's Church, Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte said that its renewing was reached "thanks to the good neighborly relations and the fruitful cooperation between the two countries and between Orthodox churches."

In Istanbul, Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew are also to discuss the question of the autocephalousness of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Memorial service for the victims

80 years after the Bloody Christmas

Today we mark 80 years since the so-called "Bloody Christmas". On January 7, 1945, the mass killing and mistreatment of thousands of Bulgarians in Vardar Macedonia began because of their Bulgarian identity. The bloodbath was prepared..

published on 1/7/25 8:05 AM

Warm winter weather on Tuesday

On Tuesday morning, there will be fog or low layered clouds along the Danube and in the valleys. Before noon it will be mostly sunny. In the afternoon, the cloudiness will increase and by the evening it will become significant. The..

published on 1/6/25 6:55 PM

2024 was the warmest year in Bulgaria since 1930

The past year 2024 was the warmest year for Bulgaria since 1930. This is shown by the analyses of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.  2024 had an average temperature for the country of about 2.1 °C above climate norms and..

published on 1/6/25 6:16 PM