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On the territory of modern Bulgaria and on the neighboring lands, the teaching of Christ began to spread quite early. According to the tradition of the Bulgarian Church, the disciple of St. Apostle Paul - Amplius headed the episcopal see in one of the cities on the territory of Bulgaria. Church historian Eusebius reports that in the II century. there were already episcopal sees in the cities of Debelt and Anchial. Among the participants in the First Ecumenical Council held in 325 AD was Protogon, Bishop of Sardica (modern Sofia).

In the 5th and 6th centuries, Christianity penetrated the Balkan Slavs through active contacts with Byzantium - many of them served as mercenary soldiers. Being among the Christian population, the Slavic warriors were baptized and upon returning home they often became evangelists of the holy faith.

In the second half of the 7th century, the Bulgarian state was formed in the eastern part of the Balkans. The creator of the new state was the warlike people of the Turkic tribe, the Bulgarians, who came from the northern shores of the Black Sea. Having conquered the Slavs living on the Balkan Peninsula, the Bulgarians over time completely mixed with the local population. Two peoples - Bulgarians and Slavs - merged into one, receiving a name from the first, and a language from the second.

In 865 the Bulgarian Tsar Boris I (852–889) was baptized by a Byzantine bishop, and soon a mass baptism of the Bulgarian people took place. The young Bulgarian Church became for some time a stumbling block between Rome and Constantinople. The question of the subordination of the Bulgarian Church was actively discussed at the local council held in 870 in Constantinople. As a result, it was decided to subordinate the Bulgarians to the Byzantine Church, while they received some church independence.

The first archbishop of the Bulgarian Church was Saint Joseph, ordained to this dignity by Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople. The country was divided into several dioceses, which gradually increased in quantitative terms with the expansion of the borders of the Bulgarian state.

St. Prince Boris did everything necessary for the growth and strengthening of the Bulgarian Church. His educational work was greatly assisted by the disciples of the holy enlighteners of the Slavs Cyril and Methodius - Sts. Clement, Naum, Gorazd and many others. Arriving in Bulgaria, they received a warm welcome from Prince Boris and, under his patronage, were able to develop a wide evangelistic activity. A glorious period began in the history of Slavic writing, which continued with no less success during the reign of the son of St. Boris - Simeon (893-927). On the personal instruction of Prince Simeon, the collection "Zlatostruy" was compiled, which included translations of the works of St. John Chrysostom.
In the 10th century, the Church played a significant role in raising the power of the Bulgarian state. She contributed to the consolidation of state rulers and the raising of their authority, sought to unite the Bulgarians as a nation.

The internal fortress of the Bulgarian country made it possible for Prince Simeon to significantly expand the limits of his possessions and declare himself “the king of the Bulgarians and the Romans”. In 919, at the Church Council in Preslav, the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Church was proclaimed and its elevation to the rank of Patriarchate.

However, Constantinople only in 927 recognized the head of the Bulgarian Church, Archbishop Damian of Dorostolsk, as Patriarch. Later in Constantinople, they were not too inclined to recognize the title of Patriarch for the successors of Damian, especially after eastern Bulgaria was conquered by the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes (971). However, the Bulgarian Patriarchate continued to exist.

Initially, the patriarchal throne was in Dorostol, after the conquest of part of Bulgaria it was transferred to the Triaditsa (now Sofia), then to Prespa and finally to Ohrid - the capital of the Western Bulgarian kingdom, headed by Tsar Samuel (976-1014).

He won in 1018 - 1019. Bulgaria was recognized by the emperor Vasily II of the Bulgarian fighter the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Church, but she was deprived of the patriarchal rank and reduced to an archdiocese. The Ohrid archbishops were appointed by decree of the emperor and were, with the exception of Archbishop John, Greeks. One of the outstanding church figures of this era was Archbishop Theophylact of Bulgaria, who left behind him, among many literary works, the famous "Evangelist".

After the uprising of 1185 - 1186. and the restoration of the independence of the Bulgarian state, an independent Church was re-organized, headed by an archbishop. This time, Tarnov became the seat of the Primate of the Bulgarian Church.

The first Archbishop of Tarnovo, Vasily, was not recognized by Constantinople, but soon the archdiocese strengthened its position so much that the question arose of elevating its primate to the rank of Patriarch. This event took place in 1235 after the conclusion of a military alliance between the Bulgarian Tsar John Asen II and the Nicene Emperor John Duca, one of the conditions of which was the recognition of the Tarnovo Archbishop by the Patriarch. In the same year, a church council chaired by Patriarch German II of Constantinople and with the participation of the Greek and Bulgarian clergy recognized the patriarchal dignity of Archbishop Joachim of Tarnovo. All the Eastern Patriarchs agreed with the decision of the Council and sent their brother “the handwriting of their testimony”.

The Second Bulgarian Patriarchate existed for 158 years (1235-1393) until the conquest of Bulgaria by the Turks. Over the years, she reached the full flowering of her spiritual powers and left the names of her glorious primates to church history. One of them was St. Joachim I, an outstanding ascetic of Athos, who became famous in the patriarchal ministry for his simplicity and mercy. Patriarch Ignatius of Tarnovo is known for his steadfastness and firmness in the confession of the Orthodox faith during the Union of Lyons in 1274 between Constantinople and Catholic Rome. It is impossible not to mention Saint Euthymius. This zealous archpastor gave all his strength for the good of the Church and the people.

Patriarch Euthymius gathered around him a whole school of church writers from Bulgarians, Serbs and Russians, and he himself left several works, including biographies Bulgarian saints, words of praise and messages. In 1393. during the bloody war between the Bulgarians and the Turks, in the absence of the tsar, who was busy with the war, he was the ruler and support of the poverty-stricken people. The saint showed a lofty example of Christian self-sacrifice by going to the camp of the Turks to ask them for mercy on the flock entrusted to him. The Turkish military leader himself was amazed at this feat of the Patriarch, received him rather kindly and released him in peace.

After the capture of Tyrnov by the Turks, Patriarch Euthymius was sentenced to death, but then sent into exile for life in Thrace, where he died.

With the fall of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, the Tarnovo See was subordinated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople as a metropolitanate

One of the prominent figures of the Bulgarian Church in the 18th century was the Monk Paisius of Hilendar (1722–1798). In his youth, he went to Mount Athos, where in the monastery libraries he began to study materials concerning the history of his native people. He collected the same kind of materials during his trips around the country as a monastery preacher and a guide for pilgrims who wanted to visit the Holy Mountain. In 1762, the Monk Paisios wrote the "History of the Slavic-Bulgarian about the peoples, and about the kings, and about the saints of the Bulgarian people," in which he cited the facts of the past glory of the Bulgarian people.
After the successful Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829. the ties of the Bulgarians with Russia were strengthened. Bulgarian monks began to study in Russian Theological schools.

By the beginning of the second half of the 19th century. Bulgarians persistently expressed the demand for the restoration of the Bulgarian ecclesiastical autonomy. In this regard, in 1858, at a Council convened by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bulgarian representatives put forward a number of demands for the organization of the Bulgarian church organization.

Due to the fact that these demands were rejected by the Greeks, the bishops of Bulgarian origin decided to independently proclaim their church independence.
The insistence of the Bulgarians in the decision to achieve church independence forced the Patriarchate of Constantinople to make some concessions in this matter over time.
On February 28, 1870, the Turkish government promulgated the Sultan's firman on the establishment of an independent Bulgarian Exarchate for the Bulgarian dioceses, as well as those dioceses whose Orthodox residents wish to enter into its jurisdiction. The exarchate was asked to commemorate the Patriarch of Constantinople during the divine service, to inform him of its decisions and to receive the Holy Miro in Constantinople for its needs. In fact, the sultan's firman restored the independence of the Bulgarian Church.

Bishop Hilarion of Lovchansk was elected the first exarch on February 11, 1872, but five days later, due to his infirmities, he refused this post. In his place was elected Metropolitan Anfim of Vidin (1816-1888), a graduate of the Moscow Theological Academy.
The new exarch immediately went to Constantinople and received a berat from the Turkish government, granting him the rights partially proclaimed by the sultan's firman of 1870. After that, the Synod of Constantinople declared the exarch excommunicated and declared the Bulgarian Church schismatic.

Exarch Anfim was succeeded by Exarch Joseph (1877-1915). His reign fell on the years of the liberation of the Bulgarians by Russian troops in 1878, when the Bulgarian Church was governed by the Synod, headed by the Vice-President, within the borders of the free state. The exarch continued to remain in Constantinople, since many Bulgarians still remained on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

After the Balkan War, which brought liberation to the Christians of the Balkan Peninsula, Exarch Joseph in 1913, leaving his governor in Constantinople, moved to Sofia, where he died two years later. After his death for 30 years, the independent development of church life and the election of a new head of the Bulgarian Church met with all sorts of obstacles. The affairs of the Church were in charge of the Holy Synod under the chairmanship of the Viceroy-Chairman, whom each of the metropolitans could be elected for a four-year term.

In 1921-1922. The Second Ecclesiastical and People's Council was convened, which resolved many issues related to the structure of the Church, and worked out the Charter of the BOC.

In 1945. During the reign of Metropolitan Stephen of Sofia, the long-awaited end of the schism took place. An important role in resolving this issue was played by the intercession of the Russian Orthodox Church to Patriarch Benjamin of Constantinople.

On March 13, representatives of the Bulgarian Church were presented with a tomos signed by Patriarch Benjamin and all members of the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople, which abolished schism and recognized the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

For some time the Bulgarian Church was governed by the Viceroy-Chairman of the Holy Synod, until on May 10, 1953, at the III Church-People's Council, the Bulgarian Patriarch Kirill was elected and solemnly enthroned. Immediately after this, misunderstandings arose again with the Church of Constantinople, whose representatives did not take part in the enthronement of the new patriarch. Only in 1961, at the persistent petition of the Russian Orthodox Church, did Constantinople finally recognize the dignity of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.

In 1970, Orthodox Bulgarians solemnly celebrated two significant anniversaries: the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian Archdiocese in the bosom of the Mother - the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill died on March 7, 1971. From 4 to 8 July 1971, the Patriarchal Electoral Church-People's Council of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was held in Sofia, at which a new Facing the Church was elected. It was Metropolitan Maxim, who at that time occupied the Lovchansk See. The enthronement of the newly elected Bulgarian Patriarch took place on July 4 at the Alexander Nevsky Sophia Patriarchal Cathedral.

In the last decade of the 20th century, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church suffered serious turmoil. After the removal of the communists from power, the new government became no less active than the communist to interfere in the affairs of the Church.

With the approval of the authorities, during the visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrius in 1991, the "Christian Union of Salvation", headed by Hieromonk Christopher Sabev, held a demonstration of protest against "the priesthood in the party uniform." Sabev, being a member of Parliament and chairman of the parliamentary commission on religion, together with officials of the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers, announced the overthrow of Patriarch Maxim, as collaborating with the communist government, and the dissolution of the Synod.

On May 9, 1992, the Bulgarian government decided to resign Patriarch Maxim. Some members of the Holy Synod supported this decision, but others firmly held that the canons did not allow the removal of the Patriarch due to state intervention. Three bishops who supported the government's decision united under the leadership of Metropolitan Pimen of Neurokop and publicly called for the removal of Patriarch Maxim.

On May 25, 1992, the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, in a circular letter, stated that the removal of Patriarch Maxim from power was a fact. In May 1992, an unauthorized schismatic "synod", recognized by the Bulgarian government, began to operate. The residence of the head of the schismatics was in Blagoevgrad.
In September 1992, through the mediation of the government, the schismatics managed to seize the Sofia Seminary.
In 1995, a number of schismatic hierarchs brought repentance and were received by Patriarch Maxim in the community, but the schism did not stop. On July 3, 1996, the schismatic "Church-People's Council" took place in Sofia, which was attended by 95 delegates, of whom 90 voted for the election of Pimen as "patriarch". On July 4, in the church of St. Paraskeva in Sofia, the ceremony of enthronement of the “patriarch” Pimen took place, which was conducted by the “patriarch” of Kiev Filaret (Denisenko).

On March 5, 1997, the Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria announced the cancellation of the state registration of the Supreme Church Board, headed by Patriarch Maxim. The next day, His Holiness Patriarch Maxim met with the President of Bulgaria and announced that he did not intend to leave his post.

On July 2-4, 1997, after a 44-year break, the IV Church-People's Council of the BOC took place. Among the guests of the cathedral were representatives Local Churches: from the Russian Orthodox Church - Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryevsk Pitirim, from the Ecumenical Patriarchate - Metropolitan Meletius and from Alexandria - Metropolitan Dionysius. The Council called on the authorities not to hinder, but to assist the Church in fulfilling her saving mission for the good of the people and the Fatherland. The Council also condemned the actions of the schismatics, calling them to repentance and return to the bosom of the Mother Church. The Church-People's Council was recognized as a permanent body, which must meet every 4 years. Eight commissions work between sessions, each of which includes a chairman in the rank of bishop, two clergymen and two laymen.

From September 30 to October 1, 1998, a meeting of the enlarged synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was held in Sofia under the chairmanship of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Besides Constantinople, 6 more Patriarchs and 20 metropolitans took part in the meeting. The Synod reaffirmed the legality of the election of Patriarch Maxim and reconciled the opposing sides. The bishops who were in schism repented of their actions and they again, like the priests and laity sympathizing with them, were accepted into the bosom of the Orthodox Church. However, the schism was never overcome - after a few days, most of the schismatic metropolitans renounced their repentance.

According to the 1997 Church-People's Council, the BOC includes 11 dioceses headed by metropolitans. There are 2,600 parishes on the territory of Bulgaria, in which 1,500 priests serve; 120 monasteries. Currently in Bulgaria there are two seminaries in Plovdiv and Sofia, plus the Sofia University and the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius have theological faculties.

The Bulgarian Church comprises two foreign dioceses; outside Bulgaria there are parishes-courtyards in Hungary, Romania, Austria, as well as in Berlin, New York and a courtyard in Moscow.

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Current situation

Currently, the jurisdiction of the BOC extends to the territory of Bulgaria, as well as to the Orthodox Bulgarian communities in Western Europe, North and South America and Australia. The highest spiritual authority in the BOC belongs to the Holy Synod, which includes all the metropolitans headed by the Patriarch. Full title of Primate: His Holiness Patriarch of Bulgaria, Metropolitan of Sofia. The Patriarch's residence is located in Sofia. The small structure of the Synod, permanently working, includes 4 metropolitans, elected for a period of 4 years by all the bishops of the Church. Legislative power belongs to the Church-People's Council, whose members are all serving bishops, as well as representatives of the clergy and laity. The highest judicial and administrative power is exercised by the Synod. The Synod has a Supreme Church Council, which is in charge of the economic and financial issues of the BOC. The President of the Supreme Church Council is the Patriarch; The council consists of 2 clergymen, 2 laymen as permanent members and 2 substitutes, elected for 4 years by the Church-People's Council.

The BOC consists of 14 dioceses (metropolitanates): Sofia (cathedra in Sofia), Varna and Preslav (Varna), Veliko Tarnovo (Veliko Tarnovo), Vidinskaya (Vidin), Vratsa (Vratsa), Dorostolskaya and Chervenskaya (Ruse), Lovchanskaya (Lovech), Nevrokop (Gotse-Delchev), Pleven (Pleven), Plovdiv (Plovdiv), Sliven (Sliven), Stara Zagorskaya (Stara Zagora), American-Australian (New York), Central Western European (Berlin). In 2002, according to official figures, there were about 3800 churches in the BOC, in which more than 1300 clergymen served; more than 160 monasteries, where about 300 monks and nuns lived.

Theological disciplines are taught in state educational institutions (the theological faculty of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"; the theological faculty and the faculty of church art at Veliko Tarnovo University; the theology department of the University of Shumen).

Educational institutions of the BOC: Sophia Theological Seminary in the name of St. John of Rilski; Plovdiv Theological Seminary.

The church press is represented by the following editions: "Tsarkoven Vestnik" (the official organ of the BOC), "Dukhovna Kultura" (a monthly magazine), "Godishnik at the Dukhovnata Academy" (a yearbook).

Church in the period of the I Bulgarian kingdom (IX - early XI century).

The adoption of Christianity in Bulgaria took place during the reign of the holy prince Boris. It was conditioned by the course of the country's internal development. The external impetus was the military failures of Bulgaria, surrounded by strong Christian powers. Initially, Boris and the group of nobles that supported him tended to accept Christianity from the Western Church. In the early 60s of the 9th century, Louis the German, king of the East Franco state, informed the Pope of the conversion of many Bulgarians to Christianity and that their prince himself intended to be baptized. However, in 864, under military pressure from Byzantium, Prince Boris was forced to conclude peace with it, pledging, in particular, to accept Christianity from Constantinople. The Bulgarian ambassadors, who arrived in Constantinople to conclude a peace treaty, were baptized and returned to the capital of the Bulgarian state, Pliska, accompanied by a bishop, many priests and monks. Prince Boris was baptized along with the entire family and those close to him, adopting the Christian name Michael, in honor of the reigning Byzantine emperor Michael III.

There are different points of view in historiography about the exact date of the baptism of Bulgaria from 863 to 866. Many scholars attribute this event to 865; this is also the official position of the BOC. A number of studies also cite the year 864. It is believed that the baptism was timed to coincide with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 or the Saturday of Pentecost. Since the baptism of the Bulgarians was not a one-time act, but a long process, various sources reflected its different stages. The decisive moment was the baptism of the prince and his court, which meant the recognition of Christianity as the state religion. This was followed by a mass baptism of the people in September 865. Soon a rebellion broke out in 10 regions of Bulgaria against the introduction of a new religion. It was suppressed by Boris, and 52 noble leaders of the rebellion were executed in March 866.

The baptism of the Bulgarians complicated the already tense relations between Rome and Constantinople. Boris, in turn, strove to achieve the independence of the Bulgarian Church from both the Byzantine and the papal administration. As early as 865, he sent a letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople, Saint Photius, in which he expressed his wish for the establishment in Bulgaria of a Patriarchate similar to that of Constantinople. In response, Photius sent a message to “the most glorious and most famous, beloved in the Lord, spiritual son Michael, from God to the archon of Bulgaria”, in fact denying the Bulgarians the right to church autocephaly.

In 866, a Bulgarian embassy was sent to King Louis the German in Regensburg with a request to send bishops and priests. At the same time, another Bulgarian embassy went to Rome, where it arrived on August 29, 866. The ambassadors conveyed 115 questions of Prince Boris to Pope Nicholas I. The text of the questions has not been preserved; their content can be judged by the pope's 106 answers that have come down to us, compiled on his personal instructions by Anastasius the Librarian. The Bulgarians wanted to receive not only learned mentors, liturgical and doctrinal books, Christian law and the like. They were also interested in the structure of an independent Church: is it permissible for them to appoint a Patriarch for themselves, who should ordain the Patriarch, how many true Patriarchs, which of them is the second after the Roman, where and how they receive myrrh, and the like. The replies were solemnly presented to the Bulgarian ambassadors on November 13, 866 by Nicholas I. The Pope called on Prince Boris not to rush to the appointment of the Patriarch and to work on creating a solid church hierarchy and community. Bishops Formosus Portuansky and Pavel Populonsky were sent to Bulgaria. At the end of November, papal envoys arrived in Bulgaria, where they launched a vigorous activity. Prince Boris expelled the Greek clergy from his country; the baptism performed by the Byzantines was declared invalid without "approval" by the Latin bishops. At the beginning of 867, a large German embassy arrived in Bulgaria, consisting of presbyters and deacons, headed by Bishop Germanarich Passau, but soon it returned, convinced of the success of the emissaries of Rome.

Immediately after the arrival of the Roman clergy in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian embassy went to Constantinople, which was joined by the Roman ambassadors - Bishop Donatus of Ostia, Presbyter Leo and Deacon Marin. However, the pope's envoys were detained at the Byzantine border in Thrace and after 40 days of waiting returned to Rome. At the same time, the Bulgarian ambassadors were received in Constantinople by Emperor Michael III, who handed them a letter to Prince Boris condemning the change in the Bulgarian ecclesiastical and political orientation and accusing the Roman Church. The rivalry for church influence in Bulgaria exacerbated the aggravation of relations between the Roman and Constantinople See. Back in 863. Pope Nicholas I refused to acknowledge the legality of Photius' placing on the Patriarchal throne and declared him deposed. In turn, Photius sharply condemned the dogmatic and ritual traditions of the Western Church, which were implanted in Bulgaria, primarily the doctrine of Filioqre. In the summer of 867. in Constantinople, a Council was convened, at which the "innovations" of the Western Church were anathematized, and Pope Nicholas was declared deposed.

Meanwhile, Bishop Formosus of Portuans, who received unlimited powers in church affairs from Prince Boris, introduced the Latin rite of worship in Bulgaria. In order to receive the papal blessing for the appointment of Formosus as the primate of the Bulgarian Church, in the second half of 867, Bulgarian ambassadors were again sent to Rome. However, Nicholas I suggested that Boris choose one of the 3 bishops sent to him as the future archbishop: Dominic of Trivent and Grimuald of Polymarty or Paul of Populonsky. The Pope's embassy arrived in Pliska at the beginning of 868 under the new Pope Adrian II. Prince Boris, learning that his request was not satisfied and Formosus was ordered to return to Rome, sent back the candidates sent by the Pope and Paul of Populonsky and asked in a letter to elevate him to the rank of archbishop and send to Bulgaria the deacon he knew, Marina, or some cardinal worthy to head the Bulgarian Church. The Pope refused to ordain Deacon Marina, deciding to put his confidant, Subdeacon Sylvester, at the head of the Bulgarian Church. Accompanied by Bishop Leopard of Ancona, he arrived in Pliska, but was sent back to Rome with Boris's demand - to send Formosa or Marina. Adrian II sent a letter to Boris urging him to name any candidate other than Formosa and Marina. However, by this time, at the end of 868, Prince Boris had already decided to reorient himself to Byzantium.

The Byzantine emperor Basil I the Macedonian, who came to power in 867, removed Photius from the Patriarchal throne. Prince Boris negotiated with the restored Patriarch of St. Ignatius, and the Bulgarians were given to understand that they would make any concessions if the Bulgarian Church returned under the protection of Byzantium. At the Council of Constantinople in 869-870. The Bulgarian ecclesiastical question was not considered, but on March 4, 870 - shortly after the last meeting of the Council (February 28) - the hierarchs, in the presence of Emperor Basil I, listened to ambassadors Boris, who asked the question to whom the Bulgarian Church should obey. A discussion took place between the papal legates and the Greek hierarchs, as a result of which the decision was passed to the Bulgarian ambassadors that the territory of Bulgaria was in the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Constantinople, as the former possession of the Byzantine Empire. The Latin clergy, led by Grimuald, were forced to leave Bulgaria and return to Rome.

Pope John VIII (872–882) tried to return the Bulgarian diocese under the authority of Rome by diplomatic means. However, Prince Boris, without breaking off relations with the Roman curia, did not agree to accept the Pope's proposals and still adhered to the provisions adopted in 870. At the Council of Constantinople (late 879 - early 880), the papal legates again raised the issue of ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Bulgaria. As a result, a decision was made that was important for the history of the BOC: from that moment on, the Bulgarian Archdiocese was not to appear in the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In essence, the decisions of this Local Council were beneficial to Constantinople and Bulgaria, whose archbishop actually received the rights of autonomy in relation to the Church of Constantinople. At the same time, this meant the final failure of Rome's policy on the Bulgarian issue. The Pope did not immediately realize this, at first interpreting the conciliar decree as the departure of the Byzantine clergy from Bulgaria and the withdrawal of the Bulgarian Archdiocese from the jurisdiction of Constantinople. In 880, Rome tried to intensify contacts with Bulgaria through the Croatian Bishop Theodosius of Ninsky, but his mission was unsuccessful. The letter sent by the Pope to Boris in 882 also remained unanswered.

Church structure

While the question of the status and title of the head of the Bulgarian Church remained an object of negotiations between the popes and the Bulgarian prince, church administration was carried out by the bishops who headed the Roman mission in Bulgaria (Formosus of Portuansky and Pavel Populonsky in 866-867, Grimuald Polymartisky and Dominik of Trentinsky in 868-869, individually Grimuald in 869-870). It is not clear what powers were given to them by the pope, but it is known that they consecrated temples and altars and ordained lower clergy of Bulgarian origin. The appointment of the first archbishop was postponed due to disagreements over the identity of a particular candidate. These disagreements, as well as the desire of the Roman high priests to maintain full control over the Bulgarian diocese as long as possible, led to the rejection of the Bulgarians from belonging to the Roman church organization.

The decision on the transfer of the Bulgarian Church under the jurisdiction of Constantinople, adopted on March 4, 870, marked the beginning of the organizational formation of the Bulgarian Archdiocese. It is traditionally believed that the first Bulgarian Archbishop Stefan, whose name is recorded in the "Legend of the Monk Christodulus about the Miracles of the Great Martyr George" at the beginning of the 10th century (in one of the lists he is named Joseph), was ordained by the Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Ignatius and belonged to the Byzantine clergy; this ordination could hardly have taken place without the consent of Prince Boris and his entourage. According to the latest hypothesis, at the origins of the Bulgarian Church in 870-877. stood Nicholas, Metropolitan of Heraclea of ​​Thrace. It is possible that he received the newly formed Bulgarian diocese as part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople under control and sent out his representatives to their places, one of whom was his nephew, an unknown monk and archdeacon, who died in Cherven on October 5, 870. In the 70s of the 9th century, the construction of the Great Basilica, designed to become the main cathedral of the country, began in the capital of Bulgaria, Pliska. Pliska apparently became the place of permanent residence of the Bulgarian archbishops around 878 during the reign of Archbishop George, who is known from the message of Pope John VIII and the Moldovans. When the capital of Bulgaria was moved to Preslav in 893, the residence of the Primate of the BOC also moved there. The Golden Church of St. John in the outer city of Preslav.

In terms of internal government, the Bulgarian Archbishop was independent, only formally recognizing the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The archbishop was elected by the Council of Bishops, apparently, even without his approval by the Patriarch of Constantinople. The decision of the Council of Constantinople of 879-880 not to include Bulgaria in the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople actually secured the rights of autonomy for the archbishop of Bulgaria. According to his position in the Byzantine church hierarchy, the primate of the BOC received an independent status. The special place that the Bulgarian archbishop occupied among the heads of other Local Churches is attested to in one of the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, where he, together with the Archbishop of Cyprus, was placed after 5 Patriarchs before the metropolitans subordinate to Constantinople.

After 870, simultaneously with the creation of the Bulgarian Archdiocese, the formation of subordinate dioceses began. The number of dioceses created in Bulgaria and the location of their centers is not amenable to precise determination, but, undoubtedly, there were many of them. In a letter from Pope John VIII to Prince Boris on April 16, 878, Bishop Sergius is mentioned, whose see was located in Belgrade. The Council of Constantinople in 879-880 was attended by representatives of the BOC, Bishops Gabriel of Ohrid, Theoktist of Tiberiopolis, Manuel Provatsky and Simeon of Develtsky. Ordained bishop about 893 by St. Clement of Ohridsky initially headed 2 dioceses - Draguvitia and Veliki, and later a third of the Bulgarian state was transferred under his spiritual supervision (Exarchate of the Southwestern Lands). Between 894 and 906, Konstantin Preslavsky, one of the greatest Bulgarian church writers, became bishop of Preslav. Probably after 870, the dioceses that existed on the Balkan Peninsula before the settlement of Slavic tribes, with centers in Sredets, Philippopolis, Dristra, and others, were also restored. Pope John VIII in his letters to Bulgaria asserted that there were so many Bulgarian dioceses that their number did not correspond to the needs of the Church.

Wide internal autonomy allowed the BOC to independently establish new episcopal chairs in the country in accordance with its administrative-territorial division. In the Life of St. Clement of Ohridsky says that during the reign of Prince Boris, there were 7 metropolises within Bulgaria, in which cathedral churches were erected. The location of 3 of them is known for sure: in Ohrid, Prespa and Bregalnica. Others, in all likelihood, were in Develta, Dristra, Sredets, Philippopolis and Vidin.

It is assumed that the Chancellery of the Bulgarian Archdiocese was created in the likeness of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. With her there were many ministers, assistants to the archbishop, who made up his retinue. The first place among them was occupied by Sinkell, who was in charge of the organization of church life; 2 lead seals of the late 9th - early 10th centuries have survived, where "George Chernets and Sinkell Bulgarian" is mentioned. The secretary of the primate of the Bulgarian Church, the most influential person in the archbishop's chancellery, was Khartophylax (in Byzantium this title was designated as the keeper of the archive). On the wall of the Golden Church in Preslav, there is a Cyrillic inscription - graffiti, informing that the church of St. John's church was built by the hartophylaxis Paul. The exarch was obliged to monitor the correct observance and implementation of church canons, to explain the dogmas and ethical standards of the Church to clergy, carrying out the highest preaching, mentoring, missionary and supervising activities. The post of exarch was held after 894 by the famous church writer John Exarch. The Bulgarian scribe and translator Gregory, who lived during the reign of Tsar Simeon, was called “the presbyter and supporter of all the churchmen of the Bulgarian churches” (a title that was absent in the Patriarchate of Constantinople).

The higher and lower clergy were mostly Greek, but, most likely, the Slavs also met among them (for example, Sergius, Bishop of Belgrade). Long time the Byzantine clergy was the main vehicle for the political and cultural influence of the empire. Prince Boris, striving to create a national church organization, sent Bulgarian youths to study in Constantinople, including his son Simeon, suggesting that he would later become an archbishop.

In 889, Saint Prince Boris retired to a monastery (apparently at the Great Basilica in Pliska) and handed over the throne to his eldest son Vladimir. But due to the commitment of the new prince to paganism, Boris had to remove him from power and return to governing the country. In the fall of 893, he convened a Council in Preslav with the participation of the clergy, nobility and people, who de jure deposed Vladimir and handed over power to Simeon. The Preslav Cathedral is usually associated with the assertion of the priority of the Slavic language and Cyrillic writing.

Dissemination of Slavic books and temple building

The activities of the Slavic first teachers of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius were of great importance for the strengthening and spread of Christianity in Bulgaria. According to a number of sources, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril preached and baptized Bulgarians on the Bregalnitsa River (modern Macedonia) even before the official adoption of Christianity by Prince Boris. This legendary and historical tradition took shape during the period of Byzantine rule and at the early stage of the revival of the Bulgarian state in the XII-XIII centuries, when the southwestern regions were the main focus of the preservation of the national culture.

After the death of Archbishop Methodius in 886, the persecution of the Latin clergy, supported by Prince Svyatopolk, began on the Slavic liturgy and writing in Great Moravia, the disciples of the glorious apostles - Angelarius, Clement, Lawrence, Naum, Savva; among them, with all the obviousness, is also Constantine, the future bishop of Preslav, who found refuge in Bulgaria. They entered the country in different ways: Angelarius and Clement reached Belgrade, which then belonged to Bulgaria, on a log, crossing the Danube; Naum was sold into slavery and ransomed in Venice by the Byzantines; the paths of others are unknown. In Bulgaria, they were gladly received by Prince Boris, who needed enlightened employees who were not directly connected either with Rome or with Constantinople.

For about 40 years, from 886 to 927, the scribes who came from Great Moravia and the generation of their students, through translations and original creativity, created in Bulgaria a full-fledged multi-genre literature in a language understandable to the people, which formed the basis of all medieval Orthodox Slavic, as well as Romanian literature. Thanks to the activities of the students of Cyril and Methodius and with the direct support of the supreme power in Bulgaria, in the last quarter of the 9th -1st third of the 10th century, 2 literary and translation centers (or "schools") - Ohrid and Preslav - were formed and actively operated. At least two of the disciples of the glorious apostles - Clement and Constantine - were elevated to the rank of bishop.

Clement is called “the first bishop of the Bulgarian language” in a life written by Theophylact, archbishop of Ohrid. During his educational activities in the region of Kutmichevitsa in southwestern Bulgaria, Clement trained a total of 3,500 students (including the future Bishop Mark of Devolsk).

The flourishing period of Bulgarian culture under Tsar Simeon was called the “golden age”. The compiler of Tsar Simeon's Izbornik compares the Bulgarian ruler with the king of Hellenistic Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (3rd century BC), under whom the translation of the Septuagint from Hebrew into Greek was carried out.

In the 10th century, during the reign of St. Peter and his successors, literary creativity in Bulgaria takes on an occasional character, characteristic of all the writers of the Slavia Orthodoxa region in the Middle Ages. From this time, the cycle of teachings of Peter the Chernorizets (identified by researchers with the tsar, the son of Simeon) and the "Conversation on the newly appeared heresy to Bogumilov" by Kozma Presbyter, containing the most complete picture of the new heretical teaching and characterizing the spiritual and especially monastic life of Bulgaria in the middle of the 2nd half, are known. X century. Almost all the monuments created in the 9th-10th centuries in Bulgaria came to Russia early, and many of them (especially non-service ones) have survived only in Russian copies.

The activities of the Slavic scribes were of fundamental importance for the establishment of the internal autonomy of the BOC. The introduction of the Slavic language contributed to the gradual replacement of the Greek clergy by the Bulgarian.

The construction of the first churches on the territory of Bulgaria began, apparently, back in 865. According to Anastasius the Librarian, it acquired considerable scope during the period of the Roman clergy's stay in the country from 866 to 870, who consecrated "many churches and altars." This is evidenced by a Latin inscription found in Preslav. Churches were often built on the foundations of destroyed early Christian temples, as well as pagan sanctuaries of the Proto-Bulgarians, for example, in Pliska, Preslav and Madara. This practice is recorded in the “Legend of the Monk Christodulus about the miracles of the Great Martyr. George "early X century. It tells how Prince Boris destroyed pagan temples and erected monasteries and temples in their place.

Active church-building activity continues with the arrival of the disciples of Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius in Bulgaria. In Ohrid St. Clement founded on the ruins of the 5th century basilica. Monastery of the Great Martyr. Panteleimon and built 2 rotunda churches. In 900, the Monk Naum erected on the opposite shore of Lake Ohrid a monastery in the name of the holy Archangels at the expense of Prince Boris and his son Simeon. The canon composed by Naum of Ohrid in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called testifies to his special veneration by the disciples of Cyril and Methodius.

At the request of Prince Boris, the Komit Taradin built a large church on Bregalnitsa in honor of the 15 martyrs of Tiberiopolis who suffered in Tiberiopolis (Strumitsa) under Julian the Apostate. The relics of the martyrs Timothy, Comasius and Eusebius were solemnly transferred to this church. This event took place on August 29 and was included in the Slavic calendars (the month's words of the Assemanian Gospel of the 11th century and the Strumitsky Apostle of the 13th century). Priests of the newly built church were the disciples of Clement of Ohrid. During the reign of Simeon, the Comit Dristr transferred the relics of saints Socrates and Theodore from Tiveroupolis to Bregalnitsa.

The Life of 15 Martyrs of Tiberiopolis reports on the active construction of churches and the strengthening of the influence of the Bulgarian Church during the reign of Prince Boris: “From that time on, they began to appoint bishops, to ordain a multitude of priests and to erect holy temples, and the people that used to be a barbarian tribe have now become a people ... And from now on a person can see that the number of churches is multiplying, and the temples of God, which the above-named Avars and Bulgarians destroyed, rebuilt good and erected from the foundations. " The construction of churches was also carried out on the initiative of private individuals, as evidenced by the Cyrillic inscription of the 10th century: "Lord, have mercy on His servant John the presbyter and His servant Thomas, who created the temple of St. Blasius."

The Christianization of Bulgaria was accompanied by the construction of many monasteries and an increase in the number of monastics. Many Bulgarian aristocrats, including members of the princely house (Prince Boris, his brother Doks Chernorizets, Tsar Peter and others) took monastic tonsure. A significant number of monasteries were concentrated in large cities (Pliska, Preslav, Ohrid) and their environs. For example, in Preslav and its suburbs, according to archaeological data, there are 8 monasteries. Most of the Bulgarian scribes and church hierarchs of that time came from among the inhabitants of city monasteries (John Exarch, Presbyter Gregory Mnikh, Presbyter John, Bishop Mark of Devolsky and others). At the same time, monastic monasteries began to appear in mountainous and remote areas. The most famous hermitage of that time was St. John of Rila (+ 946), founder of the Rila Monastery. Among the ascetics who continued the traditions of ascetic monasticism, the Monks Prokhor Pshinsky (XI century), Gabriel Lesnovsky (XI century), Joachim Osogovsky (late XI - early XII centuries) became famous.

A number of sources (for example, The Legend of the Monk Christodulus of the Miracles of the Great Martyr George, early 10th century) report a large number of itinerant monks who did not belong to the brethren of a particular monastery.

Establishment of the Bulgarian Patriarchate

In 919, after the victories over the Greeks, Prince Simeon proclaimed himself “the king of the Bulgarians and the Romans”; the royal title of his son and successor Peter (927-970) was officially recognized by Byzantium. During this period, the BOC received the status of the Patriarchate. There are different opinions about the exact date of this event. According to the ideas of that time, the status of the Church had to correspond to the status of the state, and the rank of the church head - to the title of the secular ruler ("there is no kingdom without the Patriarch"). Based on this, it was suggested that Simeon approved the Patriarchate in Bulgaria at the Preslav Council in 919. This is contradicted by the fact of negotiations that Simeon conducted in 926 with Pope John X on the elevation of the Bulgarian Archbishop to the rank of Patriarch.

Traditionally, it is believed that the Patriarchal title of Primate of the BOC was officially recognized by Constantinople at the beginning of October 927, when a peace treaty was concluded between Bulgaria and Byzantium, sealed by the dynastic alliance of 2 powers and the recognition of Peter, the son of Simeon, as Tsar of the Bulgarians.

There are, however, a number of serious arguments that testify to the recognition of the patriarchal dignity of the BOC not at the time of Peter's accession (927), but in the subsequent years of his reign. The 2nd sigil of Emperor Basil II of the Bulgarians, given to the Ohrid Archdiocese (1020), speaking of the territory and legal rights of the BOC during the time of Tsar Peter, calls it the Archdiocese. The Tacticon of Benešević, describes the ceremonial practice of the Byzantine empire of the court around 934-944, places the “Archbishop of Bulgaria” in 16th place, after the Syncelles of the Roman, Constantinople and Eastern Patriarchs. The same indication is contained in the treatise of the Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913–959) "On ceremonies."

In the "List of Archbishops of Bulgaria", the so-called list of Ducanj, compiled in the middle of the 12th century and reached in the 13th century manuscript, it is reported that, by order of Emperor Roman I Lakapenos (919-944), the Imperial Synclite proclaimed Damian Patriarch of Bulgaria, and the BOC was recognized as autocephalous ... Presumably, the BOC received this status during the period when the Patriarchal throne in Constantinople was occupied by Theophylact (933–956), the son of Emperor Romanus Lacapenus. It was with Theophylact, his relative, that Tsar Peter maintained close ties and turned to him for advice and clarification regarding the heresy of Bogomilism, a religious and social movement that had spread in Bulgaria since the middle of the 11th century.

During the reign of Tsar Peter in the Bulgarian Church, there were no less than 28 episcopal sees, listed in the chrisovula of Basil II, (1020). The most important ecclesiastical centers were: in Northern Bulgaria - Preslav, Dorostol (Drystra, modern Silistra), Vidin (Bydin), Moravsk (Morava, antique Marg); in southern Bulgaria - Plovdiv (Philippopolis), Sredets - Triaditsa, (modern Sofia), Bregalnitsa, Ohrid, Prespa and others.

The names of a number of Bulgarian archbishops and patriarchs are mentioned in the Synodikon of Tsar Boril (1211), but the chronology of their reign remains unclear: Leonty, Demetrius, Sergius, Gregory.

After the capture of Dorostol in 971 by the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes, Patriarch Damian fled to Sredets in the possession of the Komitopuls David, Moses, Aaron and Samuel, who became the actual successors of the Bulgarian statehood. With the formation of the West Bulgarian Kingdom in 969, the capital of Bulgaria was moved to Prespa and then to Ohrid. The residence of the Patriarch also moved to the West: according to the sigil of Basil II - to Sredets, then to Woden (Greek Edessa), from there to Moghlen and, finally, in 997, to Ducanj's Ohrid list, without mentioning Sredets and Moghlen, he names Prespa in this row. The military successes of Tsar Samuel were reflected in the construction of a grand basilica in Prespa. The relics of St. Achilles from Larissa, captured by the Bulgarians in 986. At the end of the altar of the Basilica of St. Achilles contains images of 18 "thrones" (chairs) of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.

After Damian, the list of Ducanes indicates Patriarch Herman, whose see was originally located in Voden, and then was transferred to Prespa. It is known that he ended his life in the monastery, accepting the schema with the name Gabriel. Patriarch German and Tsar Samuel were the teachers of the church of St. Herman on the shores of Lake Mikra-Prespa, in which Samuel's parents and his brother David were buried, as evidenced by the inscriptions of 993 and 1006.

Patriarch Philip, according to Ducanj's list, was the first to have a see in Ohrid. Information about the Ohrid Patriarch Nicholas (he is not mentioned in the list of Ducanj) is contained in the Proposed Life of Prince John Vladimir (+ 1016), the son-in-law of Tsar Samuel. Archbishop Nicholas was the prince's spiritual mentor, life calls this hierarch the wisest and most wonderful.

The question of who was the last Bulgarian Patriarch, David or John, remains controversial. Byzantine historian John Skylitsa reports that in 1018. “Archbishop of Bulgaria” David was sent by Queen Maria, the widow of the last Bulgarian Tsar John Vladislav, to announce the conditions of her abdication to Emperor Basil II. In the postscript of Mikhail Devolsky to the composition of Skilitsa, it is said that the captive Bulgarian Patriarch David participated in the emperor's triumphal procession in Constantinople in 1019. However, the veracity of this story is disputed. Nothing is known about David to the compiler of the Ducange list. In the same year 1019, there was already a new primate in the Ohrid Church - Archbishop John, a former abbot of the Debar Monastery, a Bulgarian by birth. There is reason to believe that he became Patriarch in 1018, and in 1019 was demoted by Basil II to the rank of archbishop subordinate to Constantinople.

Church in the era of Byzantine rule in Bulgaria (1018-1187)

The conquest of Bulgaria by the Byzantine Empire in 1018 resulted in the liquidation of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. Ohrid became the center of the autocephalous Ohrid Archdiocese, which consisted of 31 dioceses. It covered the former territory of the Patriarchate, as stated in the 2nd sigil of Basil II (1020): "... the current most holy archbishop owns and governs all the Bulgarian bishoprics, which were owned and ruled by the then archbishops under Tsars Peter and Samuel." After the death of Archbishop John around 1037, a Slav by origin, the Ohrid see was occupied exclusively by Greeks. The Byzantine government pursued a policy of Hellenization, the Bulgarian clergy was gradually replaced by the Greek. At the same time, the Byzantine hierarchs strove to preserve the independence of the Ohrid Church. Thus, Archbishop John Comnenus (1143–1156), nephew of Emperor Alexei I Comnenus, found a new justification for the special status of the Ohrid archdiocese. In the minutes of the Local Council of Constantinople (1143), he signed not as “Archbishop of Bulgaria” (as was done before), but as “Archbishop of the First Justinian and Bulgaria”. The identification of Ohrid with the ancient ecclesiastical center Justinian the First (modern Tsarichin-Grad), founded by Justinian I and actually located 45 km south of the city of Niš, was later developed by the Ohrid Archbishop Dimitri II Khomatian (1216-1234) into the theory with the help of which the Ohrid Archbishop managed to maintain independence for more than 5 centuries. In the 12th century, the bishops of Velbujd also claimed this title.

Within the boundaries of the Ohrid diocese, church leaders of Greek origin to a certain extent took into account the spiritual needs of the Bulgarian flock. This contributed to the better preservation of Slavic culture within the framework of the Ohrid Archdiocese in comparison with Eastern Bulgaria, directly subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople, and subsequently ensured its revival (hence, the Bulgarian scribes of the 12th-13th centuries had the idea of ​​Macedonia as the cradle of Slavic writing and Christianity in Bulgaria). With the transition of the archbishop's table to the Greeks in the middle of the 11th century and the Hellenization of the social upper classes of society, there is a gradual but noticeable decline in the status of Slavic culture and worship to the level of parish churches and small monasteries. This did not affect the veneration of local Slavic saints by the Byzantines. Thus, Archbishop Theophylact of Ohrid (1090–1108) created the Life of the Martyrs of Tiberiopolis, the extensive Life of Clement of Ohrid and his service. George Skilitsa wrote the Life of John of Rylsky and a whole cycle of services to him (about 1180). Demetrius Homatian is credited with establishing the celebration of the saints of the Seven Numbers ( Equal to the Apostles Methodius, Cyril and their five students), they also compiled short Life and service to Kliment Ohridsky.

Church in the era of the 2nd Bulgarian kingdom (1187-1396). Archdiocese of Tarnovo

In the fall of 1185 (or 1186), an anti-Byzantine uprising broke out in Bulgaria, led by the local brothers Peter and Asen. The strong fortress of Tyrnov became its center. On October 26, 1185, many people gathered there to consecrate the Great Martyr Church. Demetrius of Thessaloniki. According to Nikita Choniates, a rumor spread that the miraculous icon of St. Demetrius from Thessalonica, sacked by the Normans in 1185, is now in Tarnovo. This was taken as evidence of the special patronage of the Great Martyr. Demetrius to the Bulgarians and inspired the rebels. The re-establishment of the Bulgarian statehood within the framework of the 2nd Bulgarian Kingdom with the capital in Tarnovo resulted in the restoration of the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Church. Information about the establishment of a new bishopric in Tarnovo during the uprising is contained in the letter of Dimitri Khomatian to Vasily Pediadit, Metropolitan of Kerkir, and in the Synodal Act of the Ohrid Archdiocese in 1218 (or 1219). In the fall of 1186 or 1187, in the newly built church, where the Great Martyr icon was located. Demetrius, the Bulgarian leaders forced 3 Byzantine hierarchs (Metropolitan of Vidin and 2 unknown bishops) to ordain as bishop priest (or hieromonk) Basil, who married Peter Assen to the kingdom. In fact, a new independent diocese appeared in the center of the rebellious territory.

The establishment of a bishopric was followed by the expansion of its canonical powers; in 1203 it became the Archdiocese of Tarnovo. In the period 1186-1203. 8 dioceses that had fallen away from the Ohrid archdiocese passed into subordination to the Primate of Tarnovo: Vidinskaya, Branichevskaya, Sredetskaya, Velbuzhskaya, Nishskaya, Belgrade, Prizrenskaya and Skopskaya.

Tsar Kaloyan (1197–1207), brother of Peter and John Asen I, took advantage of the difficult situation in which the Byzantine emperor Alexei III Angel (1195–1203) and Patriarch John V Kamatir (1191–1206) found themselves in connection with the 4th crusade and the capture of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204. The Patriarch of Constantinople was forced to recognize Tarnovsky as the head of the church and to grant him the right to ordain bishops. In addition, the Archbishop of Tarnovo, using the situation, appropriated to himself similar rights in relation to the Ohrid diocese: Archbishop Vasily appointed bishops to the widowed episcopal sees of the Ohrid archdiocese.

At the same time, Tsar Kaloyan negotiated with Pope Innocent III on the recognition of his royal dignity. The condition for the coronation of Kaloyan was made by the Pope ecclesiastical subordination to Rome. In September 1203, Chaplain John of Kazemarinsky arrived in Tyrnov, who presented Archbishop Basil with a palium sent by the Pope and elevated him to the rank of Primate. In a letter dated February 25, 1204. Innocent III confirmed the appointment of Vasily as “primate of all Bulgaria and Wallachia”. The final confirmation of Basil by Rome was marked by his anointing, performed on November 7, 1204, by Cardinal Leo, and the presentation of the signs of the highest ecclesiastical authority and the "Privilege", which determined the canonical state of the Tarnovo Archdiocese and the powers of its head.

Union with Rome served as a means of achieving certain political goals, and when in the international aspect it became an obstacle to further raising the rank of the Bulgarian Church, it was abandoned. Most researchers believe that the conclusion of the union was a formal act and did not change anything in the Orthodox liturgical and ritual practice in Bulgaria.

In 1211. In Tarnovo, Tsar Boril convened a Church Council against the Bogomils and compiled a new edition of the Synodikon for the Week of Orthodoxy (Synodikon for Tsar Boril), which was repeatedly supplemented and revised during the 13th – 14th centuries and serves as an important source on the history of the Bulgarian Church.

In connection with the consolidation of Bulgaria's position during the reign of John Asen II (1218–1241), the question arose not only of recognizing the independence of its Church, but also of elevating its primate to the rank of Patriarch. This happened after the conclusion of a military alliance against the Latin Empire by John Asen II with the Nicene Emperor John III Duca Vatatz. In 1234, after the death of Archbishop Basil, the Bulgarian Bishops' Council chose Hieromonk Joachim. The choice was approved by the king, and Joachim went to Nicaea, where he was ordained. This demonstrated the belonging of the Bulgarian Archdiocese to the Eastern Church, the canonical communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (temporarily located in Nicaea) and the final break with the Roman curia. In 1235, a Church Council was convened in the city of Lampsak under the chairmanship of Patriarch German II of Constantinople, at which patriarchal dignity was recognized for Archbishop Joachim I of Tarnovo.

In addition to the Tarnovo and Ohrid dioceses, 14 dioceses were subordinated to the new Patriarch, 10 of which were headed by metropolitans (the metropolitanates of Preslav, Cherven, Lovchanskaya, Sredetskaya, Ovech (Provatskaya), Dristrskaya, Serre, Vidinskaya, Philippian (Dramovskaya), Messemyskopia; Belgrade and Nish). The reconstruction of the Bulgarian Patriarchate is dedicated to 2 chronicles, contemporary events: one as part of the additions to the Synodikon of Boril, the second as part of a special tale about the transfer of the relics of St. Paraskeva (Petki) in Tarnov. The Bulgarian Church did not have such an extensive diocese either before or after until the end of the 2nd Bulgarian Kingdom.

The Skop diocese in 1219 passed into the jurisdiction of the Serbian Archdiocese of Pech, and Prizren (around 1216) returned to the diocese of the Ohrid archdiocese.

In the first half of the 13th century, Tarnovo turned into an impregnable fortress city. It consisted of 3 parts: the outer city, the Tsarevets hill with the royal and patriarchal palaces and the Trapezitsa hill, where there were 17 churches and the Cathedral of the Ascension. The Bulgarian kings set themselves the task of making Tarnovo not only the ecclesiastical-administrative, but also the spiritual center of Bulgaria. They actively pursued a policy of “collecting holy things”. After the victory of the Bulgarians over the Byzantine emperor Isaac II, Angel among the trophies captured a large patriarchal cross, which, according to George the Acropolis, “was made of gold and had a particle of the Honorable Tree in the middle”. It is possible that the cross was made by Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine. Until the late 70s of the XIII century, this cross was kept in the Tarnovo treasury in the Church of the Ascension.

Under John Asen I, the relics of St. John of Rylsky and placed in a new church built in the name of this saint on Trapezitsa. Tsar Kaloyan transferred the relics of the holy martyrs Michael the Warrior to Tarnovo, St. Hilarion, Bishop of Moglensk, Venerable. Philothea Temnitskaya and St. John, Bishop of Polivotsky. John Asen II erected a church of 40 martyrs in Tarnovo, where he transferred the relics of St. Paraskeva Epivatskaya. Under the first Asseny the concept was formed: Tarnovo - "New Constantinople". The desire to liken the capital of Bulgaria to Constantinople was reflected in many literary works of that era.

The Synodikon mentions the names of 14 Patriarchs for the period from 1235 to 1396; according to other sources, there were 15. The surviving information about their life and work is extremely fragmentary. The lists do not mention Archbishop Vasily I, who, although he was not officially recognized by the Patriarch, is named as such in a number of documents. A lead seal has survived with the name of Patriarch Vissarion, which is dated to the 1st quarter of the 13th century, believing that Vissarion was the successor of Primate Basil and also a Uniate. However, it is not possible to accurately determine the years of his Patriarchate.

St. Joachim I (1235-1246), who took monastic vows on Mount Athos, became famous for his virtuous and fasting life and was canonized immediately after his death. Patriarch Basil II was a member of the regency council under Kaliman's young brother, Michael II Asen (1246–1256). During his Patriarchate, the Batoshevsky Monastery of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos was built.

After the death of John Asen II, the territory of the Tarnovo diocese was gradually reduced: the dioceses in Thrace and Macedonia were lost, then the Belgrade and Branichevsk, and later the Nis and Velbuzhd dioceses.

Patriarch Joachim II is mentioned in the Synodikon as the successor of Basil II and in the 1264/65 church inscription of the rock monastery of St. Nicholas near the village of Trinity. The name of Patriarch Ignatius is indicated in the colophons of the Tarnovo Gospel of 1273 and the Apostle of 1276-1277. The synodik calls him "the pillar of Orthodoxy" because he did not accept the union with Rome, concluded at the second Council of Lyons (1274). In the Bulgarian book tradition of the last quarter of the 13th century, the strengthening of anti-Catholic tendencies is reflected: in the short edition of the Legend of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, in the Questions and Answers about the Gospel Words, in the Legend of the Zograf Martyrs, in the Tale of the Xiropotamos Monastery.

Ignatius' successor, Patriarch Macarius lived in the era of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the Ivaila uprising and civil strife between John Asen III and George Terter I, who is mentioned in the Synodikon as a holy martyr, but it is not known when and how he suffered.

Patriarch Joachim III (80s of the XIII century - 1300) was an active politician and church leader. In 1272, while not yet being Patriarch, he had conversations in Constantinople with Girolamo d'Ascoli (later Pope Nicholas IV) in the presence of Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus. In 1284, already as Patriarch, he participated in the Bulgarian Embassy in Constantinople. In 1291, Nicholas IV sent a letter to Joachim III (whom he called "archiepiscopo Bulgarorum"), where he reminded that at the first meeting he spoke of his disposition to the idea of ​​submission to the Pope, that is, "to what I am urging you to now." ... Tsar Theodore Svyatoslav (1300-1321) suspected Patriarch Joachim III of collusion with Chaka, the son of the Tatar ruler Nogai and a pretender to the Bulgarian throne, and executed him: the Patriarch was thrown from the so-called Lobnaya rock on the Tsarevets hill in Tarnovo. Patriarchs Dorotheos and Roman, Theodosius I and Ioanniki I are known only from the Synodikon. They probably occupied the Tarnovo Chair in the first half of the 14th century. Patriarch Simeon took part in the Council in Skopje (1346), at which the Patriarchate of Pec was established and Stefan Dusan was crowned with the Serbian crown.

Patriarch Theodosius II (circa 1348 - circa 1360), who took tonsure at the Zograf monastery, maintained active ties with Athos (he sent the Explanatory Gospel of Theophylact, Archbishop of Ohrid, rewritten by the order of his predecessor, Patriarch Simeon, and Pandetsaekt Nikon Chernogorzaekts to Zograf as a gift. new translation). In 1352, in violation of the canons, he ordained Theodoret as Metropolitan of Kiev after the Patriarch of Constantinople Callistus refused to do so. In 1359/60, Patriarch Theodosius headed the Council against heretics in Tarnovo.

Patriarch Joannicius II (70s of the XIV century) was formerly the abbot of the Tarnovo monastery of 40 martyrs. Under him, the Vidin Metropolitanate fell away from the Bulgarian diocese.

In the XIV century in Bulgaria found fertile soil and many followers of the religious and philosophical doctrine of hesychasm. The incarnator of the ideas of the mature hesychasm of St. Gregory the Sinaite came to the Bulgarian lands around 1330, where in the area of ​​Paroria (in the Strandzha mountains) he founded 4 monasteries, the largest of them on Mount Katakekriomen. Tsar John Alexander provided patronage to this monastery. The disciples and followers of Gregory Sinait of Paroria (Slavs and Greeks) spread the teachings and practices of hesychasts throughout the Balkan Peninsula. The most famous of them were St. Romil Vidinsky, St. Theodosius of Tarnovsky, David Dissipat and the future Patriarch of Constantinople Callistus I. At the Council of Constantinople in 1351, hesychasm was recognized as fully consistent with the foundations of the Orthodox faith and since that time has received official recognition in Bulgaria.

Theodosius Tarnovsky took an active part in denouncing various heretical teachings that spread in Bulgaria in the middle and second half of the 14th century. In 1355, on his initiative, a Church Council was convened in Tarnovo, where the teachings of the Barlaamites were anathematized. At the Tarnovo Cathedral of 1359, the main distributors of bogomilism, Cyril Bosota and Stephen, and the heresy of the Adamites Lazar and Theodosius were condemned.

With the support of Tsar John Alexander, St. Theodosius founded around 1350 the Kilifarevsky monastery in the vicinity of Tarnov, where under his leadership many monastics asceticised (around 1360 their number reached 460) from the Bulgarian lands and from neighboring countries - Serbia, Hungary and Wallachia. Among them were Euthymius of Tarnovsky, the future Patriarch of Bulgaria, and Cyprian, the future Metropolitan of Kiev and Moscow. The Kilifarevo Monastery became one of the main centers of hesychasm, as well as books and enlightenment in the Balkans. Theodosius Tyrnovsky translated into the Slavic language "Chapters extremely useful" by Gregory Sinait.

From the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries to the last quarter of the XIV century (the time of Patriarch Euthymius), through the efforts of several generations of Bulgarian monks (including hesychasts), who worked mainly on Athos (Dionysius the Divine, Zacchaeus the Philosopher (Vagil), the elders John and Joseph, Theodosius Tyrnovsky, as well as many unnamed translators), a book reform was carried out, which received the name "Tyrnovskaya" or, more precisely, "Afono-Tyrnovskaya" reference in the scientific literature. Two large corpuses of texts were translated anew (or substantially edited by comparing Slavic lists with Greek ones): 1) a full range of liturgical and paraliturgical four books (Stishnoy Prologue, triode Synaxarium, “Studian collection” homily, patriarchal homiliary (instructive gospel), Margaret and others), necessary for worship in accordance with the Jerusalem Rite, which was finally established in the practice of the Byzantine Church during the 13th century; 2) ascetic and accompanying domatic-polemic works - a kind of hesychasm library (Ladder, works of Abba Dorotheus, Isaac the Syrian, Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory Sinait, Gregory Palamas and others). The translations were accompanied by the gradual development of a unified spelling (based on the Eastern Bulgarian), the absence of which was characteristic of the Bulgarian writing during the 12th - mid-14th century. The results of the right had a strong impact on the ancient Orthodox literature - Serbian, Old Russian ("second South Slavic influence" of the end of the XIV-X centuries).

The largest church figure of the 2nd half of the 14th century was Euthymius Tarnovsky. After the death of Theodosius, he pursued asceticism first in the Studi monastery, and then in Zograf and the Great Lavra on Athos. In 1371, Euthymius returned to Bulgaria and founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity, where an ambitious translation activity developed. In 1375 he was elected Bulgarian Patriarch.

The merit of Patriarch Euthymius is the comprehensive implementation of the results of the Athonite law into the practice of the BOC, so active that even younger contemporaries (Konstantin Kostenetsky) perceived the Patriarch as the initiator of the reform itself. In addition, Patriarch Euthymius is the largest Bulgarian writer of the 14th century, a prominent representative of the style of weaving words. He wrote services, lives and words of commendation to almost the entire pantheon of saints, whose relics were collected in Tarnovo by the first kings of the Asen dynasty, as well as a commendation to the Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen and a message to Mnich Cyprian (the future Metropolitan of Kiev). A disciple and close friend of Euthymius was one of the prolific Slavic scribes of the XIV-XV centuries, Grigory Tsamblak, who wrote him a word of praise.

Church in the era of Turkish rule in Bulgaria (late XIV - 2nd half of the XIX century)

Liquidation of the Tarnovo Patriarchate

The ruler of Vidin, John Sratsimir, the son of Tsar John Alexander, took advantage of the fact that during the occupation of the city by the Hungarians (1365-1369), Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin fled to Wallachia. Returning to the throne, John Sratsimir subordinated the Metropolitanate of Vidin to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, thereby emphasizing his ecclesiastical and political independence from Tyrnov, where his brother John Shishman ruled. At the beginning of 1371, Metropolitan Daniel negotiated with the Synod of Constantinople and was given control of the Triadic diocese. In July 1381, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople appointed Metropolitan Cassian to the See of Vidin, which consolidated the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Constantinople over the Vidin Metropolitanate. In 1396 Vidin was taken by the Turks.

On July 17, 1393, the Ottoman army captured Tarnovo. Patriarch Euthymius actually led the defense of the city. The works of Gregory Tsamblak "Praise to Patriarch Euthymius" and "The Story of the Transfer of the Relics of St. Paraskeva ", as well as" Praise of St. Philothea ”by Metropolitan Joasaph of Vidinsky tells about the plundering of Tyrnov and the destruction of many churches. The surviving temples were empty, having lost most of the priests; those who survived were afraid to serve. Patriarch Euthymius was exiled to confinement (probably to the Bachkovo monastery), where he died around 1402. The Bulgarian Church was left without its First Hierarch.

In August 1394, Patriarch Anthony IV of Constantinople, together with the Holy Synod, decided to send Metropolitan Jeremiah to Tarnovo, who in 1387 was appointed to the throne of Mavrovlachia (Moldavia), but for a number of reasons could not begin to govern the diocese. He was instructed to leave “with God's help to the Holy Church of Tarnovo and to perform there all the deeds befitting a bishop without hindrance,” with the exception of the ordination of bishops. Although the hierarch sent to Tarnovo was not put at the head of this diocese, but only temporarily replaced the head of the diocese, which was considered in Constantinople as a dowager, in the Bulgarian historical science this act is interpreted as a direct intervention of the Patriarchate of Constantinople into the jurisdiction of the autocephalous Bulgarian Church (Tarnovo). In 1395, Metropolitan Jeremiah was already in Tarnovo, and in August 1401 he still ruled the Tarnovo diocese.

The temporary dependence of the Tarnovo Church on Constantinople became permanent. There is practically no information about the circumstances of this process. The subsequent changes in the canonical position of the BOC can be judged on the basis of 3 letters related to the dispute between Constantinople and Ohrid about the boundaries of their dioceses. In the first, the Patriarch of Constantinople accused Archbishop Matthew of Ohrid (mentioned in the reply letter) that he, having no canonical rights, annexed the Sophia and Vidin dioceses to his ecclesiastical region. In a reply letter, the successor of Matthew, unknown to us by name, explained to the Patriarch that his predecessor had received, in the presence of the Patriarch and members of the Synod of the Church of Constantinople, a letter from the Byzantine emperor, according to which his diocese included lands up to Adrianople, including Vidin and Sophia. In the third letter, the same Archbishop of Ohrid complains to Emperor Manuel II about the Patriarch of Constantinople, who, contrary to the imperial decree, expelled the metropolitans of Vidin and Sophia, who had been installed from Ohrid. Researchers date this correspondence differently: 1410-1411, or after 1413 or around 1416. In any case, no later than the second decade of the fifteenth century, the Tarnovo Church was subordinated to Constantinople. There are no ecclesiastical legal grounds for the liquidation of the Tarnovo Patriarchate. However, this event was a natural consequence of Bulgaria's loss of its own statehood. The other Balkan Churches, on whose territory a part of the Bulgarian population lived (and where in the 16th-17th centuries there were much more favorable conditions for the preservation of Slavic writing and culture), the Pec and Ohrid Patriarchates (abolished in 1766 and 1767, respectively) retained their autocephaly much longer. Since that time, all Bulgarian Christians have come under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Bulgaria as part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople

The first Metropolitan of the Tarnovo diocese in the Constantinople Patriarchate was Ignatius, the former Metropolitan of Nicomedia: his signature is the 7th in the list of representatives of the Greek clergy at the Florentine Council in 1439. In one of the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the middle of the fifteenth century, the Tarnovo Metropolitan occupies a high 11th place (after Thessaloniki); 3 episcopal sees are subordinate to him: Cherven, Lovech and Preslav. Until the middle of the 19th century, the Tarnovo diocese covered most of the lands of Northern Bulgaria and extended south to the Maritsa River, including the districts of Kazanlak, Stara and Nova Zagora. The bishops of Preslav (until 1832, when Preslav became a metropolitanate), Cherven (until 1856, when Cherven was also elevated to the rank of metropolitan), Lovchansky and Vrachansky were subordinate to the Tarnovo Metropolitan.

The Patriarch of Constantinople, who was considered the supreme representative before the Sultan of all Orthodox Christians (millet-bashi), had broad rights in the spiritual, civil and economic spheres, but remained under the constant control of the Ottoman government and was personally responsible for the loyalty of his flock to the sultan's power. Church submission to Constantinople was accompanied by an increase in Greek influence in the Bulgarian lands. Greek bishops were appointed to the cathedrals, who in turn supplied Greek clergy to monasteries and parish churches, which resulted in the practice of conducting divine services in Greek, which was incomprehensible to most of the flock. Church positions were often carried out with the help of large bribes; in the localities, church taxes (more than 20 types of them are known) were levied arbitrarily, often by violent methods. In the event of a refusal to pay, the Greek hierarchs closed churches, anathematized the disobedient, presented them to the Ottoman authorities as unreliable and subject to resettlement or arrest. Despite the numerical superiority of the Greek clergy, in a number of dioceses the local population managed to retain the Bulgarian abbot. Many monasteries (Etropolsky, Rilsky, Dragalevsky, Kurilovsky, Kremikovsky, Cherepishsky, Glozhensky, Kuklensky, Elenishsky and others) have preserved the Church Slavonic language in worship.

In the first centuries of Ottoman rule, there was no ethnic enmity between Bulgarians and Greeks; there are many examples of joint struggle against conquerors who equally oppressed the Orthodox peoples. Thus, Metropolitan Dionysius (Rali) of Tarnovo became one of the leaders of the preparation of the 1st Tarnovo uprising in 1598 and attracted the subordinate bishops Jeremiah of Rusensky, Theophanes of Lovchansky, Spiridon Shumensky (Preslavsky) and Methodius of Vrachansky. 12 priests from Tarnovo and 18 influential laymen, together with the Metropolitan, vowed to remain faithful to the cause of the liberation of Bulgaria until his death. In the spring or summer of 1596, a secret organization was created, which included dozens of both clergy and secular persons. Greek influence in the Bulgarian lands was largely due to the influence of the Greek-speaking culture and the impact of the gaining strength of the process of "Hellenic revival".

New Martyrs and Ascetics of the Ottoman Yoke Period

During the period of Turkish rule, the Orthodox faith was the only support for the Bulgarians that allowed them to preserve their national identity. Attempts to forcibly convert to Islam contributed to the fact that the preservation of faithfulness to the Christian faith was also perceived as the protection of their national identity. The feat of the new martyrs directly correlated with the feats of the martyrs of the first centuries of Christianity. Their lives were created, services were compiled for them, the celebration of their memory, veneration of relics were formalized, temples were built, consecrated in their honor.
The exploits of dozens of saints who suffered during the Turkish domination are known. As a result of outbreaks of fanatical bitterness of Muslims against the Bulgarians-Christians, St. George of St. Sophia, burnt alive in 1515, George the Old and St. George the Newest, hanged in 1534, suffered a martyr's death; Nicholas the New and Hieromartyr. Bishop Vissarion of Smolyan was stoned to death by a crowd of Turks - one in Sofia in 1555, others in Smolyan in 1670. In 1737, the organizer of the uprising, Metropolitan Simeon of Samokovsky, was hanged in Sofia. In 1750, for refusing to accept Islam in Bitola, the Angel of Lerinsky (Bitolsky) was beheaded with a sword. In 1771, Hieromartyr Damascene was hanged by a crowd of Turks in Svishtov. Martyr John in 1784 confessed Christian faith v Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, turned into a mosque, for which he was beheaded, the martyr Zlata Moglenskaya, who did not succumb to the persuasion of the Turkish kidnapper to accept his faith, was tortured and hanged in 1795 in the village of Slatino, Moglensk region. After torture, the martyr Lazarus was also hanged in 1802 in the vicinity of the village of Soma near Pergamum. Confessing the Lord in a Muslim court prmch. Ignatius Starozagorsky in 1814 in Constantinople, who died by hanging, and prmch. Onufriy Gabrovsky in 1818 on the island of Chios, beheaded by a sword. In 1822, in the city of Osman-Pazar (modern Omurtag), the martyr John was hanged, publicly repenting that he had converted to Islam, in 1841 in Sliven the head of the martyr Dimitri Slivensky was beheaded, in 1830 in Plovdiv the martyr Rada Plovdivskaya suffered for her faith: the Turks broke into the house and killed her and her three children. The BOC celebrates the memory of all the saints and martyrs of the Bulgarian land, who pleased the Lord with a firm confession of the faith of Christ and accepted the martyr's crown for the glory of the Lord, in the 2nd week after Pentecost.

Patriotic and educational activities of Bulgarian monasteries

During the conquest of the Balkans by the Turks in the second half of the 14th - early 15th centuries, most of the parish churches and once flourishing Bulgarian monasteries were burned or plundered, many frescoes, icons, manuscripts, and church utensils perished. For decades, teaching in monastic and church schools and the correspondence of books ceased, many traditions of Bulgarian art were lost. The Tarnovo monasteries suffered especially. Some of the educated clergy (mainly monastics) perished, others were forced to leave the Bulgarian lands. Only a few monasteries survived thanks to either the intercession of relatives of the highest dignitaries of the Ottoman Empire, or the special services of the local population to the Sultan, or their location in inaccessible mountain areas. According to some researchers, the Turks destroyed mainly monasteries located in the areas most strongly opposed to the conquerors, as well as monasteries that found themselves on the routes of military campaigns. From the 70s of the 14th century to the end of the 15th century, the system of Bulgarian monasteries did not exist as an integral organism; many monasteries can be judged only by the preserved ruins and toponymy data.

The population - secular and clergymen - on their own initiative and at their own expense restored monasteries and temples. Among the preserved and restored monasteries are Rilsky, Boboshevsky, Dragalevsky, Kurilovsky, Karlukovsky, Etropolsky, Bilinsky, Rozhensky, Kapinovsky, Preobrazhensky, Lyaskovsky, Plakovsky, Dryanovsky, Kilifarevsky, Prisovsky, Patriarch of the Holy Trinity, although their existence was constantly under Tyrnovo and others threatened by frequent attacks, robberies and fires. In many of them, life stood still for long periods.

During the suppression of the 1st Tarnovo uprising in 1598, most of the rebels took refuge in the Kilifarevo monastery, restored in 1442; for this the Turks destroyed the monastery again. Surrounding monasteries also suffered - Lyaskovsky, Prisovsky and Plakovsky. In 1686, during the 2nd Tarnovo Uprising, many monasteries also suffered. In 1700, the Lyaskovsky Monastery became the center of the so-called Mary's uprising. During the suppression of the uprising, this monastery and the neighboring Transfiguration Monastery suffered.

The traditions of medieval Bulgarian culture were preserved by the followers of Patriarch Euthymius, who emigrated to Serbia, to Athos, and also to Eastern Europe: Metropolitan Cyprian († 1406), Gregory Tsamblak († 1420), Deacon Andrew († after 1425), Konstantin Kostenetsky († after 1433 ) and others.

In Bulgaria itself, the revival of cultural activity took place in the 50s and 80s of the 15th century. The cultural upsurge swept the west of the former territories of the country, and the Rila Monastery became the center. It was restored in the middle of the 15th century through the efforts of the monks Joasaph, David and Theophanes with the patronage and generous financial support of the widow of Sultan Murad II, Mary Brankovic (daughter of the Serbian despot George). With the transfer of the relics of the Monk John of Rylsky there in 1469, the monastery became one of the spiritual centers not only in Bulgaria, but also in the Slavic Balkans as a whole; thousands of pilgrims began to arrive here. In 1466, between the Rila monastery and the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos (inhabited at that time by Serbs - see Art. Athos) an agreement was concluded on the provision of mutual assistance. Gradually, the activities of scribes, icon painters and itinerant preachers resumed in the Rila Monastery.

The scribes Dimitri Kratovsky, Vladislav Grammaticus, monks Mardarius, David, Pachomius and others worked in the monasteries of Western Bulgaria and Macedonia. The collection of 1469, written by Vladislav Grammatik, included a number of works related to the history of the Bulgarian people: “The extensive life of St. Cyril the Philosopher "," Praise to Saints Cyril and Methodius "and others, the basis of the" Rila Panegyric "of 1479 is made up of the best works of Balkan hesychast writers of the 2nd half of the 11th - early 15th century: (" The Life of St. John of Rila ", Epistles and other works by Euthymius Tyrnovsky, "The Life of Stephen Dechansky" by Grigory Tsamblak, "Praise to St. Philothea" by Iosaf Bdinsky, "The Life of Gregory Sinait" and "The Life of St. Theodosius of Tarnovsky" by Patriarch Callistus), as well as new writings by Rilis Grammar and "Life of St. John of Rylsky with Little Praise" by Dimitri Kantakuzin).

At the end of the 15th century, monks-scribes and compilers of collections Spiridon and Petr Zograf worked in the Rila Monastery; For the Suchavsky (1529) and Krupnishsky (1577) Gospels kept here, unique golden bindings were made in the monastery workshops.

Book-writing activity was also carried out in monasteries located in the vicinity of Sofia - Dragalevsky, Kremikovsky, Seslavsky, Lozensky, Kokalyansky, Kurilovsky and others. Dragalevsky monastery was renewed in 1476; the initiator of its renovation and decoration was the well-to-do Bulgarian Radoslav Mavr, whose portrait, surrounded by his family, was placed among the murals on the threshold of the monastery church. In 1488, Hieromonk Neophytos and his sons, priest Dimitar and Bogdan, built and decorated the church of St. Demetrius in the Boboshevsky Monastery. In 1493, Radiva, a wealthy resident of the suburb of Sofia, reopened the church of St. George in the Kremikovsky Monastery; his portrait was also placed on the eve of the temple. In 1499, the church of St. the Apostle John the Theologian in Poganov, as evidenced by the surviving church portraits and inscriptions.

In the 16th-17th centuries, the Etropolis Monastery of the Holy Trinity (or Varovitets), founded originally (in the 15th century) by a colony of Serbian miners in the nearby town of Etropole, became a major center of writing. Dozens of liturgical books and collections of mixed content, richly decorated with exquisitely executed titles, vignettes and miniatures, were copied at the Etropolis Monastery. The names of local scribes are known: Grammar Boycho, Hieromonk Danail, Taho Grammar, Priest Velcho, Daskal (teacher) Koyo, Grammar John, Carver Mavrudius and others. In the scientific literature, there is even a concept of the Etropolitan art and calligraphy school. Master Nedyalko Zograf from Lovech in 1598 created an icon of the Old Testament Trinity for the monastery, and 4 years later he painted the church of the nearby Karlukov monastery. In Etropolis and the surrounding monasteries, a series of icons were painted, including images of Bulgarian saints; the inscriptions on them were made in the Slavic language. The activity of monasteries on the periphery of the Sofia Plain was similar: it is no coincidence that this area was named the Sofia Small Holy Mountain.

The activity of the painter hieromonk Pimen Zografsky (Sofiyskiy), who worked in the late 16th - early 17th centuries in the vicinity of Sofia and in Western Bulgaria, where he decorated dozens of churches and monasteries, is characteristic. In the 17th century, churches in Karlukovsky (1602), Seslavsky, Alinsky (1626), Bilinsky, Trynsky, Mislovishitsky, Ilyansky, Iskretsky and other monasteries were restored and painted.

The Bulgarian Christians counted on the help of the Slavic peoples of the same faith, especially the Russians. Since the 16th century, Bulgarian hierarchs, abbots of monasteries and other clergy have regularly visited Russia. One of them was the aforementioned Metropolitan of Tarnovo Dionysius (Rali), who delivered to Moscow the decision of the Council of Constantinople (1590) on the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia. Monks, including the abbots of Rila, Preobrazhensky, Lyaskovsky, Bilinsky and other monasteries, in the 16th – 17th centuries asked the Moscow Patriarchs and sovereigns for funds to rebuild the affected monasteries and protect them from the oppression of the Turks. Later, the abbot of the Preobrazhensky monastery (1712), the archimandrite of the Lyaskovsky monastery (1718) and others made trips to Russia for alms to restore their monasteries. In addition to generous monetary alms for monasteries and churches, Slavic books were brought to Bulgaria from Russia, primarily of spiritual content, which did not allow the cultural and national consciousness of the Bulgarian people to fade away.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with the growth of the economic possibilities of the Bulgarians, donations to monasteries increased. In the first half of the 18th century, many monastery churches and chapels were renewed and decorated: in 1700 the Kapinovsky monastery was renewed, in 1701 - Dryanovsky, in 1704 the Holy Trinity chapel was painted in the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Arbanassi near Tarnovo, in 1716 in the same In the village, the chapel of the monastery of St. Nicholas was consecrated, in 1718 the Kilifarevsky monastery was renewed (in the place where it is now), in 1732 the church of the Rozhen monastery was renewed and decorated. At the same time, magnificent icons of the Tryavna, Samokov and Debr schools were created. Relics for holy relics, icon frames, censers, crosses, chalices, trays, candlesticks and much more were created in monasteries, which determined their role in the development of jewelry and blacksmithing, weaving, and miniature carving.

[! Church in the period of the "Bulgarian revival" (XVIII-XIX centuries)

Monasteries retained their role as national and spiritual centers during the period of the revival of the Bulgarian people. The beginning of the Bulgarian national revival is associated with the name of the Monk Paisius of Khilandar. His "History of the Slavic-Bulgarian about the peoples, and about the kings, and about the saints of the Bulgarian" (1762) was a kind of manifesto of patriotism. Paisiy believed that in order to awaken the people's self-awareness, it is necessary to have a sense of their land and knowledge of the national language and the historical past of the country.

Paisius's follower was Stoyko Vladislavov (later Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Vratsa). In addition to distributing Paisius's History (the copies made by him in 1765 and 1781 are known), he copied Damascenes, books of hours, prayer books and other liturgical books; he is the author of the first Bulgarian printed book (a collection of Sunday teachings called "Kyriakodromion, that is, Nedelnik", 1806). Having found himself in Bucharest in 1803, he launched an active political and literary activity there, believing that education is the main factor in strengthening the people's self-consciousness. With the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. he organized and led the first general Bulgarian political action, the purpose of which was to achieve the autonomy of the Bulgarians under the auspices of the Russian emperor. In a message to Alexander I, Sofroniy Vrachansky, on behalf of his compatriots, asked to take them under protection and allow the creation of a separate Bulgarian unit as part of the Russian army. With the assistance of the Vratsa bishop in 1810, a combat detachment of the Zemsky Bulgarian army was formed, which actively participated in the war and especially distinguished itself during the assault on the city of Silistra.

Notable representatives of the Bulgarian renaissance in Macedonia (however, very moderate in views) were the hieromonks Joachim Korchovsky and Kirill (Peichinovich), who launched educational and literary activities at the beginning of the 19th century.

Monks and priests were active participants in the national liberation struggle. Thus, the monks of the Tarnovo District took part in the "Welchova Zaver" of 1835, the uprising of captain Uncle Nikola in 1856, the so-called Hadjistaver Troubles of 1862, in the creation of the Internal Revolutionary Organization of the "Apostle of Freedom" V. Levsky and in the April Uprising of 1876.
In the formation of the educated Bulgarian clergy, the role of Russian theological schools, primarily the Kiev Theological Academy, was great.

Struggle for Church Autocephaly

Along with the idea of ​​political liberation from Ottoman oppression, the movement for church independence from Constantinople was growing among the Balkan peoples. Since the Patriarchs of Constantinople were of Greek origin, the Greeks have long found themselves in a privileged position compared to other Orthodox peoples of the Ottoman Empire. Interethnic contradictions began to manifest themselves especially sharply after the achievement of independence by Greece (1830), when a surge of nationalist sentiments took place in a significant part of Greek society, expressed in the ideology of pan-Hellenism. The Patriarchate of Constantinople was also involved in these turbulent processes and increasingly began to personify the force that hindered the national revival of other Orthodox peoples. There was a violent implantation of the Greek language in school education, measures were taken to oust the Church Slavonic language from worship: for example, in Plovdiv, under Metropolitan Chrysanthus (1850-1857), it was banned in all churches, except for the Church of St. Petka. If the Greek clergy considered the indissoluble connection of Hellenism and Orthodoxy to be natural, then for the Bulgarians such ideas became an obstacle on the way to church-national independence.

The Bulgarian clergy opposed the dominance of the Greek clergy. The struggle for church independence in the first half of the 20s of the nineteenth century began with protests for replacing the liturgical language from Greek to Church Slavonic. Attempts were made to replace the Greek clergy with Bulgarian clergy.

The domination of the Greek rulers in the Bulgarian lands, their behavior, which sometimes did not fully meet the norms of Christian morality, provoked protests from the Bulgarian population, who demanded the appointment of bishops from the Bulgarians. Demonstrations against the Greek metropolitans in Vratsa (1820), Samokov (1829–1830) and other cities can be considered harbingers of the Greco-Bulgarian church strife, which flared up in full force several decades later. At the end of the 30s of the nineteenth century, the population of the Tarnovo diocese, the largest diocese in the Bulgarian lands, joined the struggle for church independence. This struggle, like the movement for the enlightenment of the Bulgarians, was based on the reform acts issued by the Ottoman government - the Gulhanei Hutt-i Sheriff of 1839 and the Hutt-i Humayun of 1856. One of the ideologists and organizers of the Bulgarian national liberation movement L. Karavelov declared: "The Bulgarian church question is neither hierarchical, nor economic, but political." This period in Bulgarian historiography is usually characterized as the "peaceful stage" of the national revolution.

It should be noted that by no means all Greek hierarchs paid no attention to the needs of the Bulgarian flock. In the 20s and 30s. XIX century. Metropolitan Hilarion of Tarnovo, a native of Crete, did not interfere with the use of the Church Slavonic language in the diocese and contributed to the opening of the famous Gabrovo school (1835). Bishop Agapy of Vratsa (1833–1849) assisted in the opening of a women's school in Vratsa, helped in distributing books in Bulgarian, and in divine services he used only Church Slavonic. In 1839, the Sofia Theological School, founded with the support of Metropolitan Meletius, began to operate. Some Greek priests created collections of sermons written in the Greek alphabet in the Slavic language, understandable for the flock; Bulgarian books were printed in Greek.

In addition, a number of actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople against some publications in Slavic languages ​​should be viewed as a reaction to the increased activity among the Slavic peoples of Protestant organizations, primarily biblical societies with their tendency to translate liturgical books into national spoken languages. Thus, in 1841, the Patriarchate of Constantinople banned the New Bulgarian translation of the Gospel published a year earlier in Smyrna. The seizure of the already published book caused a negative reaction among Bulgarians. At the same time, the Patriarchate introduced censorship on Bulgarian publications, which served as another reason for the growth of anti-Greek sentiments.

In 1846, during a visit to Bulgaria by Sultan Abdul-Majid, Bulgarians everywhere turned to him with complaints about the Greek clergy and requests for the appointment of lords from the Bulgarians. At the insistence of the Ottoman government, the Patriarchate of Constantinople convened a Local Council (1850), which, however, rejected the Bulgarians' demand for the independent election of priests and bishops with the provision of annual salaries. On the eve of the Crimean War of 1853-1856. the struggle for the national Church covered large cities and many areas inhabited by Bulgarians. This movement was also attended by many representatives of the Bulgarian emigration in Romania, Serbia, Russia and other countries and the Bulgarian community of Constantinople (by the middle of the 19th century it numbered 50 thousand people). Archimandrite Neophytos (Bozveli) put forward the idea of ​​opening a Bulgarian church in Constantinople. At the end of the Crimean War, the Bulgarian community in Constantinople became the leading center of legal national liberation activities.

Bulgarian representatives entered into negotiations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople with the aim of reaching an agreement on the formation of an independent Bulgarian Church. It cannot be said that the Patriarchate did nothing to bring the positions of the parties closer together. Several bishops of Bulgarian origin were consecrated to the Patriarchate of Cyril VII (1855–1860), including the famous public figure Ilarion (Stoyanov), who headed the Bulgarian community of Constantinople with the title of Bishop of Makariopolis (1856). On October 25, 1859, the Patriarch laid the foundation of a Bulgarian church in the capital of the Ottoman Empire - the Church of St. Stephen. Cyril VII strove to contribute in every possible way to maintain peace in mixed Greek-Bulgarian parishes, legalized the equal use of Greek and Church Slavonic languages ​​in worship, took measures to distribute Slavic books and develop theological schools for the Slavs with instruction in their native language. However, many of the hierarchs of Greek origin did not hide their "Hellenophilia", which hindered reconciliation. The Patriarch himself, because of his moderate policy on the Bulgarian issue, aroused the discontent of the pro-Hellenic "party" and was ousted by her efforts. The Bulgarians and the concessions made to them were considered belated and demanded church separation from Constantinople.

In April 1858, at the Local Council, the Patriarchate of Constantinople again rejected the demands of the Bulgarians (election of rulers by the flock, knowledge of the candidates in the Bulgarian language, annual salaries for hierarchs). At the same time, the Bulgarian popular movement was gaining strength. On May 11, 1858 in Plovdiv for the first time the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius was solemnly celebrated. The turning point in the Bulgarian church-national movement was the events in Constantinople on Easter on April 3, 1860 in the church of St. Stephen. Bishop Hilarion of Macariopolis, at the request of the assembled people, did not remember the Patriarch of Constantinople during the divine service, which meant refusing to recognize the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Constantinople. This action was supported by hundreds of church communities in the Bulgarian lands, as well as by Metropolitans Auxentius of Velia and Paisy of Plovdiv (Greek by origin). Many messages from the Bulgarians came to Constantinople, which contained an appeal to seek recognition of the independence of the Bulgarian Church from the Ottoman authorities and to proclaim Bishop Hilarion as the "Patriarch of All Bulgaria", who, however, persistently rejected this proposal. In the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Bulgarians formed a people's council of bishops and representatives of a number of dioceses, who supported the idea of ​​creating an independent Church. The activities of various "party" groupings intensified: supporters of moderate actions oriented towards Russia (headed by N. Gerov, T. Burmov and others), pro-Ottoman (brothers Kh. And N. Typchileshov, G. Krastevich, I. Penchovich and others) and Pro-Western (D. Tsankov, G. Mirkovich and others) groupings and a "party" of national action (headed by Bishop Hilarion Makariopolsky and S. Chomakov), enjoying the support of church communities, radical intelligentsia and revolutionary democracy.

Patriarch Joachim of Constantinople reacted sharply to the action of the Bulgarians and achieved the excommunication of Bishops Hilarion and Auxentius at the Council in Constantinople. The Greco-Bulgarian conflict was aggravated by the threat of a part of the Bulgarians falling away from Orthodoxy (at the end of 1860, a large part of the Constantinople Bulgarian community temporarily joined the Uniates).

Russia, while sympathetic to the Bulgarian popular movement, at the same time did not consider it possible to support the struggle against the Patriarchate of Constantinople, since the principle of the unity of Orthodoxy was placed at the basis of Russian policy in the Middle East. “I need the unity of the Church,” wrote Emperor Alexander II in an instruction given in June 1858 to the new rector of the Russian embassy church in Constantinople. Most of the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church did not accept the idea of ​​a fully independent Bulgarian Church. Only Innokenty (Borisov), Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride, defended the Bulgarians' right to restore the Patriarchate. The Moscow Metropolitan Saint Filaret (Drozdov), who did not hide his sympathy for the Bulgarian people, found it necessary that the Patriarchate of Constantinople give the Bulgarians the opportunity to freely pray to God in their native language and “have a single tribal clergy,” but rejected the idea of ​​an independent Bulgarian Church. After the events of 1860 in Constantinople, Russian diplomacy began an energetic search for a conciliatory solution to the Bulgarian ecclesiastical question. Count N.P. Ignatiev, Russian ambassador to Constantinople (1864-1877), repeatedly requested appropriate directives from the Holy Synod, but the top leadership of the ROC refrained from making certain statements, since the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Great Church did not turn to the Russian Church with any demand. In its reply to Patriarch Gregory IV of Constantinople (dated April 19, 1869), the Holy Synod expressed the opinion that both sides are right to a certain extent - both Constantinople, which preserves church unity, and the Bulgarians, who legitimately strive to have a national hierarchy.

Church during the period of the Bulgarian Exarchate (from 1870)

In the midst of the Bulgarian-Greek confrontation over the issue of church independence in the late 1860s, Patriarch Gregory VI of Constantinople undertook a number of measures to overcome the strife. He expressed his readiness to make concessions, proposing the creation of a special ecclesiastical district under the control of the Bulgarian bishops and under the chairmanship of the Exarch of Bulgaria. But this compromise option did not satisfy the Bulgarians, who demanded a significant expansion of the boundaries of their ecclesiastical region. At the request of the Bulgarian side, the High Port was involved in settling the dispute. The Ottoman government presented two options for resolving the issue. However, the Patriarchate of Constantinople rejected them as non-canonical and proposed to convene an Ecumenical Council to resolve the Bulgarian question; no permission was obtained for this.
The negative position of the Patriarchate led to the decision of the Ottoman government to end the strife with its power. On February 27, 1870, Sultan Abdul-Aziz signed a firman on the establishment of a special ecclesiastical district - the Bulgarian Exarchate; The next day, the great vizier Ali Pasha handed two copies of the firman to the members of the bilateral Bulgarian-Greek commission.

According to clause 1 of the firman, the management of spiritual and religious affairs was entirely left to the Bulgarian Exarchate. A number of points stipulated the canonical connection of the newly formed district with the Patriarchate of Constantinople: upon the election of the Exarch by the Bulgarian Synod, the Patriarch of Constantinople issues a letter of confirmation (clause 3), his name must be remembered during the divine service (clause 4), for matters of religion, the Patriarch of Constantinople and his Synod provide the Bulgarian Synod the required help (item 6), from Constantinople the Bulgarians receive holy myrrh (item 7). Clause 10 defined the boundaries of the Exarchate: it included the dioceses where the Bulgarian population predominated: Ruschukskaya (Rusenskaya), Silistrian, Preslavskaya (Shumenskaya), Tarnovskaya, Sofia, Vrachanskaya, Lovchanskaya, Vidinskaya, Nishskaya, Pirotskaya, Kyustendilskaya, Samokovskaya, , as well as the Black Sea coast from Varna to Kyustendzhe (except for Varna and 20 villages whose inhabitants were not Bulgarians), Sliven sandzhak (district) without the cities of Ankhial (modern Pomorie) and Mesemvria (modern Nessebar), Sozopol kaza (district) without seaside villages and the Philippopolis (Plovdiv) diocese without the cities of Plovdiv, Stanimak (modern Asenovgrad), 9 villages and 4 monasteries. In other areas with a mixed population, it was planned to hold "referendums" among the population; no less than 2/3 of the inhabitants had to speak out for submission to the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Exarchate.

The Bulgarian representatives transferred the firman to the Provisional Bulgarian Synod, which met in one of the districts of Constantinople (it included 5 bishops: Hilarion Lovchansky, Panaret Plovdivsky, Paisiy Plovdivsky, Anfim Vidinsky and Hilarion Makariopolsky). The decision of the Ottoman authorities was greeted with enthusiasm among the Bulgarian people. Celebrations were held everywhere and letters of thanks were drawn up to the name of the Sultan and the High Port.
At the same time, the Patriarchate of Constantinople declared the firman non-canonical. Patriarch Gregory VI expressed his intention to convene an Ecumenical Council to consider the Bulgarian question. In response to the message of the Patriarch of Constantinople to the autocephalous Churches, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church rejected the proposal to convene an Ecumenical Council and advised the adoption of a firman on the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate, since it included all the main provisions of the draft of Patriarch Gregory VI and the differences between them are insignificant.

The Bulgarian side has started to create the administrative structure of the Exarchate. It was necessary to draw up a temporary governing body for the preparation of the draft Charter, which, according to clause 3 of the firman, was to determine the internal management of the Bulgarian Exarchate. On March 13, 1870, a meeting was held in Constantinople, which elected a Provisional Mixed Council (it included 5 bishops, members of the Provisional Synod, and 10 laity), chaired by Metropolitan Hilarion of Lovchansky. For the adoption of the Charter of the Exarchate, it was necessary to organize the Church-People's Council. The “Collection of rules for the election of delegates” (“Occasion”) was sent to the dioceses, according to which the largest Bulgarian diocese - Tarnovo - could delegate 4 elected representatives, Dorostolskaya, Vidinskaya, Nishskaya, Sofia, Kyustendil, Samokovskaya and Plovdivskaya - 2 each, the rest - by 1 representative. The delegates were to appear in Constantinople on January 1-15, 1871, with statistics on their diocese with them.

The first Church-People's Council was held in Constantinople from February 23 to July 24, 1871 under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Hilarion of Lovchansk. The Council was attended by 50 people: 15 members of the Provisional Mixed Council and 35 representatives of dioceses; these were leaders of the movement for the independent Bulgarian Church, influential residents of Constantinople and diocesan centers, teachers, priests, representatives of local government bodies (1/5 of the delegates had a secular higher education, almost the same number graduated from religious educational institutions). When discussing the Charter of the Exarchate, 5 bishops, with the support of G. Krastevich, defended the canonical order of church administration, which provided for the special responsibility of the episcopate for the Church, while representatives of the liberal-democratic trend were of the opinion about strengthening the position of the laity in church administration. As a result, the liberals were forced to retreat, and paragraph 3 of the charter determined: "The exarchate as a whole is governed by the spiritual authority of the Holy Synod, and each of the dioceses is governed by the metropolitan." Representatives of the liberal-democratic trend achieved a relative victory in the issue of diocesan administration: the draft charter provided for the creation of separate councils in each diocese - from the clergy and laity, but the delegates voted to create unified diocesan councils dominated by the laity. The number of lay persons on the mixed council of the Exarchate was also increased from 4 to 6 (paragraph 8). Controversy was also caused by the two-stage electoral system proposed in the draft charter. The liberals insisted on direct voting when choosing laymen to diocesan councils and when electing an exarch by metropolitans, while bishops and conservatives (G. Krastevich) argued that such an order threatened to undermine the canonical structure of church government. As a result, the two-stage system was retained, but the role of the laity in the election of diocesan bishops increased. The discussion ended with the consideration of the question of the life or temporary election of the Exarch. Liberals (H. Stoyanov and others) insisted on limiting his term of office; Metropolitans Hilarion of Lovchansky, Panaret and Paisy of Plovdiv also believed that the replacement of the exarch, although it is an innovation, does not contradict the canons. As a result, with a small margin (28 out of 46) votes, the principle of limiting the powers of the exarch to a period of 4 years was adopted.

The adopted Charter for the administration of the Bulgarian Exarchate (Charter for the administration of the Bulgarian Exarchate) consisted of 134 points, grouped into 3 sections (divided into chapters). The first section determined the procedure for the election of the Exarch, members of the Holy Synod and the mixed council of the Exarchate, diocesan metropolitans, members of the diocesan, district (Qazi) and communal (Nakhi) mixed councils, as well as parish priests. The second section defined the rights and obligations of the central and local bodies of the Exarchate. The competence of the Holy Synod included the solution of religious and dogmatic issues and the administration of justice in these areas (paragraphs 93, 94 and 100). The Mixed Council was entrusted with responsibility for educational activities: care for the maintenance of schools, the development of the Bulgarian language and literature (paragraph 96 b). The Mixed Council is obliged to monitor the state of the Exarchate's property and control income and expenses, as well as resolve financial and other material disputes in cases of divorce, betrothal, certification of wills, donations, and the like (clause 98). The third section was devoted to church income and expenses and their control; a significant part of the income was allocated to the maintenance of schools and other public institutions. The highest legislative body of the Bulgarian Exarchate was declared the Church-People's Council of representatives of the clergy and laity, convened every 4 years (paragraph 134). The Council considered a report on all areas of the Exarchate's activities, elected a new Exarch, and could make changes and additions to the Charter.

The Charter adopted by the Council was submitted for approval to the Sublime Porte (later it remained unapproved by the Ottoman government). One of the basic principles laid down in this document was election: for all church positions "from first to last" (including officials of the Exarchate), candidates were not appointed, but elected. New in the practice of the Orthodox Church was the limitation of the term of office of the primate, which was intended to strengthen the conciliar principle in church administration. Each bishop had the right to nominate himself for the throne of the Exarch. Laymen - members of mixed councils - were called to play a significant role in church life. The main provisions of the Charter of 1871 were included in the Charter of the BOC in force since 1953.

Patriarch Anthim VI of Constantinople, elected to the throne in 1871, was ready to find ways of reconciliation with the Bulgarian side (for which he was severely criticized by the pro-Hellenic "party"). However, the majority of Bulgarians asked the Sultan to recognize the Bulgarian Exarchate as completely independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The deepening strife led to the unilateral implementation of the 1870 firman by the Sublime Porta. On February 11, 1872, the Ottoman government gave permission (teskera) to elect the Exarch of Bulgaria. The next day, the Provisional Mixed Council elected the oldest bishop in age - Metropolitan Hilarion of Lovchansk as Exarch. He resigned 4 days later, referring to his advanced age. On February 16, as a result of repeated elections, Anfim I, Metropolitan of Vidinsky, became Exarch. On February 23, 1872, he was approved in a new rank by the government and on March 17, he arrived in Constantinople. Anfim I took up his duties. On April 2, 1872, he received the Sultan's Berat, who determined his powers as the supreme representative of the Orthodox Bulgarians.

On May 11, 1872, on the feast of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, Exarch Anfim I with 3 bishops who co-served him, despite the Patriarch's prohibition, held a festive service, after which he read out an act signed by him and 6 other Bulgarian bishops, which proclaimed the restoration of an independent Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Metropolitans of the Exarchate were appointed, and on June 28, 1872, they received berates from the Ottoman government, confirming their appointment. The Exarch's chair remained in Constantinople until November 1913, when Exarch Joseph I moved it to Sofia.

At a meeting of the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on May 13-15, 1872, Exarch Anfim I was defrocked and deposed. Metropolitan Panaret of Plovdiv and Hilarion of Lovchansky were excommunicated from the Church, and Bishop Hilarion of Makariopol was given eternal anathema; all the hierarchs, clergy and laity of the Exarchate were subjected to church punishments. From August 29 to September 17, 1872, a Council was held in Constantinople with the participation of the hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (including the former Patriarchs Gregory VI and Joachim II), the Patriarchs of Sophronius of Alexandria, Hierotheos of Antioch and Cyril of Jerusalem (the latter, however, soon left the meeting and refused to sign under conciliar definitions), Archbishop Sophronius of Cyprus, as well as 25 bishops and several archimandrites (including representatives of the Church of Greece). The actions of the Bulgarians were condemned as based on the beginning of phyletism (tribal differences). All "those who accept phyletism" were proclaimed schismatics alien to the Church (September 16).

The Bulgarian Exarch Anfim I sent a message to the primates of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches, in which he did not recognize the imposition of schism as legal and just, since the Bulgarian Church remains unchanged in devotion to Orthodoxy. The Holy Governing Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church did not respond to this message, but did not join the verdict of the Council of Constantinople, leaving unanswered the message of Patriarch Anthim VI of Constantinople about the proclamation of the schism. His Grace Macarius (Bulgakov), then Archbishop of Lithuania, opposed the recognition of excommunication, believed that the Bulgarians had separated not from the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, but only from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the canonical grounds for recognizing the Bulgarian Exarchate did not differ from those according to which in the 18th century the subordination of the Ohrid and Pec Patriarchates to Constantinople took place, also legalized by the decree of the Sultan. Archbishop Macarius spoke in favor of maintaining fraternal relations between the ROC and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which, however, did not oblige, as he believed, to recognize the Bulgarians as schismatics. In an effort to maintain a neutral-conciliatory position to the outbreak of strife, the Holy Synod of the ROC took a number of measures aimed at overcoming the isolation of the BOC, thereby considering insufficient reasons for recognizing it as schismatic. In particular, it was allowed to admit Bulgarians to Russian theological schools, some bishops provided the Bulgarians with holy myrrh, in a number of cases concelebration with the Russian clergy and Bulgarian clergy took place. However, taking into account the position of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the ROC did not support full canonical communion with the BOC. Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow, pursuant to the instructions of the Holy Synod, did not allow Metropolitan Anfim of Vidin (former Exarch of Bulgaria) and Bishop Kliment of Branitsky (future Metropolitan of Tarnovo) to attend the service on August 15, 1879, who arrived in Russia to express the gratitude of the Bulgarian people for their liberation from the Turkish yoke. Metropolitan Simeon of Varna, who arrived at the head of the Bulgarian state delegation on the occasion of the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander III (May 1883), performed a requiem for Alexander II in St. Petersburg without the participation of the Russian clergy. In 1895, Metropolitan Clement of Tarnovsky was graciously received by Metropolitan Pallady of St. Petersburg, but this time, too, he did not have Eucharistic communion with the Russian clergy.

In 1873, plebiscites were held among the flock of the Skop and Ohrid dioceses, as a result of which both dioceses were annexed to the Bulgarian Exarchate without the permission of Constantinople. On their territory, an active church and educational activity was unfolded.

After the defeat of the April Uprising of 1876, Exarch Anfim I tried to get the Turkish government to soften the repression against the Bulgarians; at the same time, he turned to the heads of the European powers, to the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Isidor, with a request to intercede with Emperor Alexander II for the liberation of the Bulgarians. The Ottoman government achieved his removal (April 12, 1877); he was later taken into custody in Ankara. On April 24, 1877, an "electoral council" consisting of 3 metropolitans and 13 laymen elected a new exarch - Joseph I, Metropolitan of Lovchansk.

After Russian-Turkish war 1877-1878, according to the decisions of the Berlin Congress of 1878, which established new political boundaries in the Balkans, the territory of the Bulgarian Exarchate was distributed between 5 states: the Principality of Bulgaria, Eastern Rumelia, Turkey (vilayets of Macedonia and Eastern Thrace), Serbia (Nis and Pirot dioceses passed under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Serbian Church) and Romania (Northern Dobrudzha (Tulchansky District)).

The instability of the position of the Bulgarian Exarchate, as well as of the political status of Bulgaria, was reflected in the question of the whereabouts of the Primate of the Bulgarian Church under these conditions. The exarch's residence was temporarily moved to Plovdiv (to the territory of Eastern Rumelia), where Joseph I launched an active diplomatic activity, establishing contacts with members of the temporary Russian administration, as well as with representatives of the member states of the European Commission, which was developing the Organic Charter of Eastern Rumelia, proving the need for a single spiritual guides for the entire Bulgarian people. Russian diplomats, like some Bulgarian politicians, believed that the exarch's seat should be Sofia or Plovdiv, which would help to heal the schism that divided the Orthodox peoples.

On January 9, 1880, Exarch Joseph I moved from Plovdiv to Constantinople, where he deployed active work on the creation of governing bodies of the Exarchate, sought from the Ottoman authorities the right to place bishops in those dioceses that had been ruled by the Bulgarian rulers before the Russian-Turkish war (Ohrid, Veles, Skopje). Through the so-called istilyams (consultative polls), the population of the Dabar, Strumitsa and Kukush dioceses expressed a desire to come under the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Exarchate, but the Turkish government not only did not satisfy their aspirations, but also constantly delayed the dispatch of the bishops of the Exarchate to the Bulgarian dioceses of Macedonia and Eastern Pharacio. The Bulgarian Exarchate in Constantinople was officially an institution of the Ottoman state, while its financial content was provided by the Principality of Bulgaria. Every year, the Turkish government sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Confessions of the principality, and later to the Holy Synod in Sofia, the draft budget of the Exarchate, which was later discussed in the People's Assembly. Significant funds received from the Bulgarian taxpayers were spent both for the needs of the administration of the Exarchate in Constantinople, and for the payment of salaries for teachers and priests in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace.

As the independent Bulgarian state strengthened, the Ottoman government's distrust of the Bulgarian exarch in Constantinople grew. At the beginning of 1883, Joseph I tried to gather the Holy Synod of the Exarchate in Constantinople in order to resolve a number of issues related to internal device and management, however, the Turkish government insisted on its dissolution. In Constantinople, they were looking for an excuse to abolish the firman of 1870 and remove the exarch, as having no jurisdictional territories in the direct possessions of the sultan. In accordance with the laws of the Principality of Bulgaria - Art. 39 of the Tarnovo Constitution and the amended Charter of the Exarchate of February 4, 1883 ("Exarchist charter, adapted to the Principality") - the bishops of the principality had the right to participate in the selection of the Exarch and the Holy Synod. In this regard, in Constantinople, a definite answer was demanded from the Exarch: whether he recognizes the Church charter of the Principality of Bulgaria or considers the Exarchate in Constantinople to be separate and independent. To this, the exarch diplomatically stated that the relations between the Exarchate in Constantinople and the Church in the Bulgarian principality are purely spiritual and that the ecclesiastical law of free Bulgaria applies only to its territory; The Church in the Ottoman Empire is governed by temporary rules (since the Charter of 1871 was still not approved by the Turkish authorities). In October 1883, Joseph I was not invited to a reception at the Sultan's palace, which was attended by the heads of all religious communities recognized in the Ottoman Empire, which was regarded by the Bulgarians as a step towards the elimination of the exarch and led to unrest among the population of Macedonia, Vost. Thrace and Eastern Rumelia. However, in this situation, the Bulgarian Exarchate found support from Russia. The Ottoman government had to give in, and on December 17, 1883, Exarch Joseph I was received by Sultan Abdul-Hamid II. The action of the firman of 1870 was confirmed, the chair of the exarch was left in Constantinople, and a promise was given that the ecclesiastical rights of the Bulgarians would continue to be observed in the vilayets of the empire.

In 1884, Exarch Joseph I made an attempt to send Bulgarian bishops to the Macedonian diocese, the spiritual jurisdiction over which was contested by both the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Serbs. This rivalry was skillfully exploited by the High Porta. At the end of the year, the Turkish authorities allowed the appointment of rulers in Ohrid and Skopje, but the berates confirming their appointment were not published, and the bishops could not leave for their places.

After the reunification of the Bulgarian principality with Eastern Rumelia (1885), the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1885, the abdication of Prince Alexander I of Battenberg (1886) and the ascension of Prince Ferdinand I of Coburg (1887), the course of the Ottoman government towards the Bulgarian Exarchate in Constantinople changed. In 1890, berates were issued, confirming the appointment of the Metropolitans Sinesius in Ohrid and Theodosius in Skopje; martial law in European vilayets. The exarchate was allowed to start publishing its own organ, Novini (News), later renamed Vesti. In the middle of 1891, by order of the great vizier Kamil Pasha, the heads of the Solun and Bitol vilayets were ordered not to prevent the Bulgarians, who had left the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, from independently (through representatives of spiritual communities) to settle their church affairs and monitor the functioning of schools; As a result, in a few months, more than 150 villages and cities announced to the local authorities that they would renounce their spiritual subordination to Constantinople and came under the jurisdiction of the Exarchate. This movement continued after the decree of the new (since 1891) great vizier Dzhevad Pasha to restrict the withdrawal of the Bulgarian communities from the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate.

In the spring of 1894, berates were published for the Bulgarian rulers of the Veles and Nevrokop dioceses. In 1897, Turkey rewarded Bulgaria for neutrality in the Turkish-Greek war of 1897 by granting berates for the Bitol, Dabar and Strumitsa dioceses. The Ohrid diocese was headed by the bishop of the Bulgarian Exarchate, who did not have a Sultan's berat. For the rest of the dioceses with a Bulgarian and mixed population - Kosturskaya, Lerinskaya (Moglenskaya), Vodenskaya, Solunskaya (Thessaloniki), Kukushskaya (Poleninskaya), Serskaya, Melnik and Dramskoy - Exarch Joseph I managed to achieve recognition of the chairmen of church communities as governors of the Exarchate with the right to settle all issues church life and public education.

With the massive support of the people and significant financial and political assistance from free Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Exarchate solved the tasks of enlightening and strengthening the national identity of the Bulgarians who remained on the lands within the Ottoman Empire. It was possible to achieve the restoration of schools that were closed here during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. A significant role was played by the "Enlightenment" society, founded in 1880 in Soluni, and the "School Guardianship" - a committee for organizing educational activities created in 1882, which was soon transformed into the Department of Schools under the Bulgarian Exarchate. In Soluni were founded, which had great importance in the spiritual life of the region, the Bulgarian men's gymnasium in the name of the Slavic enlighteners Saints Cyril and Methodius (1880) and Bulgarian wives. Annunciation gymnasium (1882). For the Bulgarian population of Eastern Thrace, the male gymnasium of the imperial court of P. Beron in Audrin (Turkish Edirne) (1891) became the center of education. Until the end of 1913, the Exarchate opened 1,373 Bulgarian schools (including 13 gymnasiums) in Macedonia and the Odrinsky region, where 2,266 teachers taught and 78,854 students studied. On the initiative of Exarch Joseph I, theological schools were opened in Odrin, Prilep, which were then merged, transferred to Constantinople and transformed into a seminary. The Monk John of Rilski was recognized as its patron saint, and the first rector was Archimandrite Methodius (Kusev), who was educated in Russia. In 1900-1913, 200 people graduated from the Constantinople Theological Seminary of St. John of Rilski, some of the graduates continued their education mainly in Russian theological academies.

While the leadership of the Exarchate sought to improve the position of the Christian population of the Ottoman state by peaceful means, a number of priests and teachers created secret committees with the aim of an armed struggle for liberation. The scope of revolutionary activity forced Exarch Joseph I in the spring of 1903 to turn to the Bulgarian prince Ferdinand I with a letter in which he noted that poverty and despair gave rise to "revolutionary apostles" calling the people to revolt and promising them political autonomy, and warned that the war on Bulgaria with Turkey will be a disaster for the entire Bulgarian people. During the Ilinden Uprising of 1903, the exarch used all his influence to save the population of Macedonia and Thrace from massive repression.

The turbulent situation in the Ottoman vilayets prompted many clergy to move to free Bulgaria, leaving their flock without spiritual guidance. Outraged by this, Exarch Joseph I issued on February 10, 1912. District letter (No. 3764), which forbade the metropolitans and administrators of dioceses to allow their subordinate priests to leave their parishes and move to the territory of Bulgaria. The exarch himself, despite the opportunity to move to Sofia, remained in the Turkish capital in order to bring as much benefit to his flock as possible.

The internal structure of the Bulgarian Exarchate

According to Art. 39 of the Constitution of Bulgaria, the BOC and in the Principality of Bulgaria, and within the Ottoman Empire, remained united and indivisible. The exarch's chair remained in Constantinople even after the political liberation of Bulgaria. In practice, church administration in free Bulgaria and on the territory of the Ottoman Empire was divided and developed independently of each other, since the Turkish authorities did not allow bishops from the principality to directly participate in the administration of the Exarchate. After the Young Turkish Revolution of 1908, relations between the Bulgarian Exarchate and the Patriarchate of Constantinople improved somewhat. In 1908, for the first time, the Exarch was given the opportunity to form a legitimate Holy Synod.

Until 1912, the diocese of the Bulgarian Exarchate included 7 dioceses headed by the metropolitans, as well as dioceses ruled by the "governors of the exarch": 8 in Macedonia (Kosturskaya, Lerinskaya (Moglenskaya), Vodenskaya, Solunskaya, Poleninskaya (Kukushskaya), Serskaya, Melnikskaya, Dramskaya ) and 1 in Eastern Thrace (Odrinskaya). On this territory there were about 1600 parish churches and chapels, 73 monasteries and 1310 priests.

The following dioceses originally existed in the Principality of Bulgaria: Sofia, Samokov, Kyustendil, Vrachanskaya, Vidinskaya, Lovchanskaya, Tarnovskaya, Dorostolo-Chervenskaya and Varna-Preslavskaya. After the unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia (1885), the Plovdiv and Sliven dioceses were added to them, in 1896 the Starozagorsk diocese was established, and after the Balkan wars of 1912-1913. the Nevrokop diocese also ceded to Bulgaria. According to the Charter of 1871, several dioceses were to be liquidated after the death of their metropolitans. The territories of the abolished Kyustendil (1884) and Samokov (1907) dioceses were annexed to the Sofia diocese. The third was to be the Lovchansk diocese, the titular metropolitan of which was Exarch Joseph I, but he managed to obtain permission to preserve the diocese after his death.

Some dioceses of the Principality of Bulgaria had 2 metropolitans at the same time. In Plovdiv, Sozopol, Ankhiala, Mesemvria and Varna, along with the hierarchs of the BOC, there were Greek metropolitans subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This contradicted Article 39 of the Constitution and irritated the Bulgarian flock, leading to sharp conflicts. The Greek metropolitans remained in Bulgaria until 1906, when the local population, outraged by the events in Macedonia, seized their churches and forced their expulsion.

Conflict situations also arose between the Holy Synod and some government offices. So, in 1880-1881, D. Tsankov, at that time the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Confessions, without notifying the Synod, tried to introduce "Provisional Rules" for the spiritual administration of Christians, Muslims and Jews, which was regarded by the Bulgarian bishops headed by Exarch Joseph I as the intervention of secular authorities in the affairs of the Church. Joseph I was forced to come to Sofia, where he remained from May 18, 1881 to September 5, 1882.

As a result, on February 4, 1883, the "Charter of the Exarchate adapted for the Principality", developed on the basis of the Charter of 1871, entered into force. In 1890 and 1891. amendments were made to it, and on January 13, 1895, a new Charter was approved, supplemented in 1897 and 1900. According to these laws, the Church in the principality was ruled by the Holy Synod, consisting of all the metropolitans (in practice, only 4 bishops constantly sat, who were elected for 4 years). Exarch Joseph I ruled the Church in the principality through his viceroy ("delegate") in Sofia, who was to be elected by the metropolitans of the principality with the approval of the exarch. Metropolitan Dorostolo-Chervensky Gregory became the first governor of the exarch, followed by Metropolitans of Varna-Preslavsky Simeon, Tarnovsky Clement, Dorostolo-Chervensky Gregory (again), Samokovsky Dosifei and Dorostolo-Chervensky Vasily. Until 1894, permanent meetings of the Holy Synod of the principality were not held, then it functioned regularly, considering all current issues related to the management of the Church in free Bulgaria.

During the reign of Prince Alexander I of Battenberg (1879-1886), state power did not come into conflict with the BOC. The situation was different during the reign of the prince (1887-1918, since 1908 - the king) Ferdinand I of Coburg, a Catholic by religion. The exarch's deputy, Metropolitan Kliment of Tarnovo, who became the spokesman for the political line in opposition to the government, was declared by the supporters of Prime Minister Stambolov to be a conduit of extreme Russophilia and was expelled from the capital. In December 1887, Metropolitan Clement was forced to retire to his diocese, with a ban on performing divine services without special permission. Back in August 1886, Metropolitan Simeon of Varna-Preslav was removed from the administration of his diocese. An acute conflict broke out in 1888-1889 over the issue of commemorating the name of the prince as the Bulgarian sovereign during the divine service. Thus, relations between the government and the Holy Synod were severed, and Metropolitans Kirill of Vratsa and Clement of Tarnovo were brought to justice in 1889; it was only in June 1890 that the bishops adopted the formula for commemorating Prince Ferdinand.

In 1892, another initiative of Stambolov led to a new aggravation of relations between the Church and the state. In connection with the marriage of Ferdinand I, the government made an attempt, ignoring the Holy Synod, to amend Article 38 of the Tarnovo Constitution in such a way that the prince's successor could also be non-Orthodox. In response to the Novini newspaper (the organ of the Bulgarian Exarchate published in Constantinople), she began publishing editorials criticizing the Bulgarian government. Exarch Joseph I was harshly attacked by the government newspaper Svoboda. The Stambolov government suspended subsidies to the Bulgarian Exarchate and threatened to secede the Church of the Principality of Bulgaria from the Exarchate. The great vizier sided with the Bulgarian government, and the exarch, placed in a stalemate, stopped the newspaper campaign. Stambolov in every possible way persecuted the bishops who opposed his policy: this especially concerned Metropolitan Kliment of Tarnovo, accused of a crime against the nation and sent to prison in the Lyaskovsky monastery. A criminal trial was fabricated against him, and in July 1893 he was sentenced to life imprisonment (after an appeal, the sentence was reduced to 2 years). Vladyka Clement was imprisoned in the Glozhensky monastery solely for his "Russophilia". However, soon Ferdinad I, who decided to normalize relations with Russia, ordered the release of the Tarnovo Metropolitan and announced his consent to the transfer of the heir to the throne, Prince Boris (the future Tsar Boris III), to Orthodoxy. On February 2, 1896, in Sofia, in the Cathedral Church of Holy Week, Exarch Joseph I performed the sacrament of chrismation of the heir. On March 14, 1896, the Bulgarian prince Ferdinand I, who arrived in the Ottoman capital to meet with Sultan Abdul-Hamid II, also visited the exarch. On March 24, he celebrated Easter in the Orthodox Church of St. Week, presented Joseph I with a panagia presented by Emperor Alexander II to the first Bulgarian exarch Anfim and bought by the prince after the latter's death, and expressed a wish that in the future it would be worn by all Bulgarian exarchs.

In general, after the liberation of Bulgaria, the influence and importance of the Orthodox Church in the state gradually decreased. In the political sphere, it was pushed into the background, in the sphere of culture and education, secular state institutions began to play the main role. The Bulgarian clergy, mostly illiterate, could hardly adapt to the new conditions.

The 1st (1912-1913) and 2nd (1913) Balkan Wars and the Peace of Bucharest concluded in July 1913 led to the loss of spiritual power by the Exarchate within the European part of Turkey: the Ohrid, Bitol, Veles, Dabar and Skop dioceses entered the jurisdiction Serbian Orthodox Church, and Thessaloniki (Thessalonian) was annexed to the Greek Church. The first five Bulgarian bishops were replaced by the Serbs, and Archimandrite Eulogius, who ruled the Solun diocese, was killed in July 1913. The BOC also lost parishes in Southern Dobrudja, which came under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Only the Maronian Diocese in Western Thrace (with the center in Gumurdzhin) remained under the control of the Bulgarian Exarchate. Exarch Joseph I kept his flock mainly in Constantinople, Audrin (Edirne) and Lozengrad and decided to transfer his see to Sofia, leaving in Constantinople the “viceroyalty”, which (until its liquidation in 1945) was ruled by the Bulgarian bishops. After the death of Joseph I on June 20, 1915, a new exarch was not elected, and for 30 years the BOC was ruled by locum tenens - the chairmen of the Holy Synod.

After Bulgaria joined the first world war on the side of Germany (1915), part of the former dioceses temporarily returned to the Bulgarian Exarchate (Vardar Macedonia). At the end of the war, in accordance with the provisions of the Neuijsk Peace Treaty (1919), the Bulgarian Exarchate again lost the diocese in Macedonia: most of the Strumica diocese, the border lands that were previously part of the Sofia diocese, as well as the Maronian diocese with a see in Gumyurdzhin in Western Thrace. On the territory of European Turkey, the Exarchate preserved the Odrin diocese, which from 1910 to the spring of 1932 was headed by Archimandrite Nikodim (Atanasov) (from April 4, 1920, the diocese of Tiberiopolis). In addition, a temporary Lozenrad diocese was established, at the head of which, since 1922, was Bishop Hilarion of Nishava, who was replaced in 1925 by the former Metropolitan of Skop, Neophyte, who since 1932 also ruled the Odrinsky diocese. After the death of Metropolitan Neophytos (1938), the governorship of the Exarchate assumed the care of all Orthodox Bulgarians living within European Turkey.

After the First World War, the dioceses in Macedonia again fell away from the Bulgarian Exarchate; outside Bulgaria, the BOC now included only the Odrinsky diocese in Turkish Eastern Thrace.

During these years, a reformist trend emerged in the BOC, representatives of which were both ordinary clergy and laity, and some of the bishops. Believing that in the new historical conditions, reforms in the Church are necessary, November 6, 1919. The Holy Synod decided to start changing the Charter of the Exarchate and notified the head of government A. Stamboliyskiy about this, who approved the initiative of the BOC. The Holy Synod appointed a commission chaired by Metropolitan Simeon of Varna-Preslavsky. However, under the influence of a group of theologians headed by H. Vragov, P. Chernyaev and Archimandrite Stefan (Abadzhiev), on September 15, 1920, Stamboliysky, without informing the Holy Synod and the commission, introduced to the National Assembly a bill to amend the charter of the Exarchate, which was adopted and approved by a royal decree. According to this law, the Holy Synod was obliged to complete the preparation of the charter and convene the Church-People's Council within 2 months. In response, the Bulgarian bishops convened a Bishops' Council in December 1920, which worked out a "Draft Amendment to the Law on the Convocation of the Church-People's Council." A sharp conflict arose between the Holy Synod and the government, which ordered the military prosecutors to bring the recalcitrant bishops to justice; members of the Holy Synod were even supposed to be arrested, and the Provisional Church Administration was to be formed at the head of the BOC. At the cost of many efforts and compromises, the contradictions were somewhat smoothed out, elections of delegates were held (among whom were representatives of Macedonia - refugee priests and laymen), and in February 1921 in the capital's church of St. In the presence of Tsar Boris III, the Second Church People's Council was opened.

According to the adopted Council Statute of the Exarchate, the Church-People's Council was viewed as the highest legislative body of the BOC. The charter was a detailed and systematic exposition of the Bulgarian ecclesiastical law. The conciliar principle was declared the highest principle of church administration, that is, participation in the administration of priests and laity at all levels, while maintaining the primacy of bishops. The charter was approved by the Council of Bishops, and on January 24, 1923, approved by the National Assembly. However, after the overthrow of the Stamboliysk government (1923), the reform of the charter was limited to legislative orders, which introduced a number of amendments to the former charter of the Exarchate, mainly concerning the composition of the Synod and the election of the Exarch.

After the liberation of Bulgaria (1878), the influence and importance of the BOC in the country began to gradually decline; in the political sphere, in culture and education, it was pushed aside by new state institutions. In addition, the Bulgarian clergy turned out to be largely illiterate and could not adapt to the new conditions. V late XIX century in Bulgaria there were 2 incomplete theological schools: in the Lyaskovsky monastery - St. the Apostles Peter and Paul and in Samokov (in 1903 it was transferred to Sophia and transformed into the Sophia Theological Seminary). In 1913 the Bulgarian Theological Seminary in Istanbul was closed; its teaching staff was transferred to Plovdiv, where it began work in 1915. There were a number of primary priestly schools in which the liturgical charter was studied. In 1905, there were 1992 priests in Bulgaria, of whom only 2 had a higher theological education, and very many had only primary education. The Faculty of Theology at Sofia University was opened only in 1923.

The main reason for the non-election of a new exarch after the death of Joseph I (1915) was the instability of the government's national political course. At the same time, there were different opinions about the procedure for replacing the chairs of the Exarchate and the Sophia Metropolitanate: should they be occupied by one person or should they be divided. For 30 years, during which the BOC remained deprived of its Primate, church administration was carried out by the Holy Synod, headed by an elected governor - the chairman of the Holy Synod. From 1915 to early 1945, these were the metropolitans of Sofia Partheny (1915-1916), Dorostolo-Cherven Vasily (1919-1920), Plovdiv Maxim (1920-1927), Vrachansky Kliment (1927-1930), Vidinsky Neophyte (1930-1944) and Sophia Stephen (1944-1945).

After the entry of the Red Army into the territory of Bulgaria and the formation of the Fatherland Front government on September 9, 1944, Metropolitan Stephen of Sofia, in a message to the Russian people on radio "Sofia", stated that Hitlerism is the enemy of all Slavs, which must be broken by Russia and its allies - the United States and Great Britain ... On October 16, 1944, the locum tenens Stephen was re-elected, 2 days later, at a meeting of the Holy Synod, it was decided to ask the government to authorize the elections of the Exarch. The Charter of the Exarchate was amended to expand the degree of participation of the clergy and the people in elections. On January 4, 1945, the Holy Synod issued a District letter in which the election of the Exarch was scheduled for January 21, and on January 14 it was ordered to hold preliminary meetings in dioceses: each was required to elect 7 electors (3 clergy and 4 laity). The Electoral Council of the Exarchate took place on January 21, 1945 in the capital's Church of St. Sophia. It was attended by 90 plenipotentiary voters, who were nominated for voting 3 candidates: Metropolitan Stephen of Sofia, Neophyte of Vidinsky and Mikhail Dorostolo-Chervensky. Metropolitan Stefan was elected by a majority of votes (84), becoming the third and last Bulgarian exarch.

An important task facing the BOC was the elimination of the schism. At the end of 1944, the Synod established contact with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, whose representatives, when meeting with the Bulgarian envoy, expressed that "the Bulgarian schism is now already an anachronism." Back in October 1944, Metropolitan Stephen of Sofia asked the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church for assistance in overcoming the schism. On November 22, 1944, the Synod promised support and mediation in negotiations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In February 1945, in Moscow, during the festivities on the occasion of the enthronement of the new Patriarch of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I held a conversation with the Patriarchs of Alexandria Christopher and Antioch Alexander III and representatives of the Patriarch of Constantinople by Metropolitan German of Thyatira and the Patriarch of Jerusalem by Archbishop Athenagoras of Sevastia, at which the "Bulgarian church question" was discussed. The results of these discussions were presented by Patriarch Alexy I in his letter on February 20, 1945 to the Exarch of Bulgaria. On the day of his election, Exarch Stephen I sent a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Benjamin with a request "to withdraw the condemnation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, pronounced for known reasons, and accordingly recognize it as autocephalous and rank it among the autocephalous Orthodox Churches." The plenipotentiaries of the Bulgarian Exarchate met with the Ecumenical Patriarch and held negotiations with a commission of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (consisting of Metropolitans Maximus of Chalcedon, Herman of Sardicia and Dorotheos of Laodicea), which was to determine the conditions for lifting the schism.

On February 19, 1945, the "Protocol on the elimination of the anomaly existing for years in the body of the Holy Orthodox Church ..." was signed, and on February 22, the Ecumenical Patriarchate issued a tomos, which read: The Church, and from this moment we recognize Her as our spiritual sister, which is governed and conducts its affairs independently and autocephalously, in accordance with the institutions and sovereign rights. "

V.I.Kosik, Khr. Temelski, A. A. Turilov

Orthodox encyclopedia

BULGARIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

(Lecture notes on the history of the Local Orthodox Churches of the Kiev Theological Academy)

1. A brief outline of the history of the Bulgarian Patriarchate

1.1. The emergence and first centuries of the existence of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria

Christianity began to spread on the territory of modern Bulgaria very early. According to legend, in Varna (ancient Odessa) the first bishop was a disciple of the Apostle Paul Amplius. Church historian Eusebius reports that in the II century. there were already episcopal sees in the cities of Debelt and Anchial. Bishop of Sardica (future Sophia) Protogon was a member of the First Ecumenical Council (325), and later a Local Council took place in Sardica, which adopted canonical rules that were important for the ancient Church. At the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th century. Christianity in the Balkan Peninsula was spread by the missionary St. Nikita Remesyansky.

Slavic and then Bulgarian invasion of the Balkans in the 6th-7th centuries. undermined the foundations of church life in this area. However, later, through the Byzantine captives and their own mercenary soldiers who served in the Byzantine army and the imperial guard, Christianity began to gradually spread among the local population.

In the second half of the 7th century. in the eastern part of the Balkans, the Bulgarian kingdom was formed. The creator of the new state was the warlike people of the Turkic tribe, the Bulgarians, who came from the northern shores of the Black Sea. Having conquered the Slavs living on the Balkan Peninsula, the Bulgarians over time completely mixed with the local population. Two peoples - Bulgarians and Slavs - merged into one, receiving a name from the first, and a language from the second.

In 863, the Bulgarian Tsar Boris-Mikhail (852-889) received holy baptism from a Byzantine bishop, and 865 became the year of mass baptism of the Bulgarians according to the Byzantine rite. Initially, Prince Boris tried to maneuver between Rome and Constantinople, trying to obtain church autocephaly, but in 870, at the Local Council in Constantinople, the issue of the Bulgarian Church's belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarchate was finally resolved, and the Church itself, headed by Archbishop Joseph, ordained to this dignity Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople, received the rights of autonomy. The country was divided into several dioceses, which gradually increased in quantitative terms with the expansion of the borders of the Bulgarian state.

St. Prince Boris did everything necessary for the growth and strengthening of the Bulgarian Church. An important role in the formation of Orthodoxy in Bulgaria was played by the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who were expelled from Moravia by Latin missionaries. Among them are Saints Clement, Naum, Gorazd and others. Arriving in Bulgaria, they received a warm welcome from Prince Boris and, under his patronage, were able to develop a wide evangelistic activity. A glorious period began in the history of Slavic writing, which continued with no less success during the reign of the son of St. Boris - Simeon (893-927), patron of theology and literature. Obviously, it was in Bulgaria that the final version of the Slavic alphabet, the Cyrillic alphabet, was born. On the personal instructions of Prince Simeon, the collection "Zlatostruy" was compiled, which included translations of the works of St. John Chrysostom.

1.2. Establishment of autocephaly. Archdiocese of Ohrid and Patriarchate of Tarnovo

In the X century. The church played a significant role in raising the power of the Bulgarian state. She contributed to the consolidation of state rulers and the raising of their authority, sought to unite the Bulgarians as a nation.

The internal fortress of the Bulgarian country made it possible for Prince Simeon to significantly expand the limits of his possessions and declare himself "the king of the Bulgarians and the Romans". In 919, the Church Council in Preslav declared Bulgaria self-sufficient in ecclesiastical terms (autocephalous) and elevated it to the rank of Patriarchate, but Constantinople recognized these acts only in 927 under Tsar Peter, who concluded a peace treaty with Byzantium. The head of the Bulgarian Church, Archbishop Damian of Dorostolsk, was recognized by the Patriarch. Later in Constantinople they were not too inclined to recognize the title of Patriarch for the successors of Damian, especially after eastern Bulgaria was conquered by the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes in 971. However, the Bulgarian Patriarchate continued to exist.

Initially, the patriarchal throne was in Dorostol, after the conquest of part of Bulgaria, the see was moved to the Triaditsa (now Sofia), then to Prespa, and finally to Ohrida - the capital of the Western Bulgarian kingdom, headed by Tsar Samuel (976-1014).

In 1018-1019. Byzantine emperor Vasily II the Bulgar fighter conquered Bulgaria. He recognized the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Church, but she was stripped of the patriarchal rank and reduced to an archdiocese. The autocephalous Ohrid Archdiocese included the territories of the future Bulgarian, Serbian, Albanian and Romanian Churches. Ohrid archbishops were appointed by decree of the emperor, and soon began to be appointed from among the Greeks, which led to a decrease in independence. However, among them were prominent hierarchs, such as the interpreter of Holy Scripture Saint Theophylact of Bulgaria and the famous canonist Archbishop Dimitri Khomatin. The Ohrid Archdiocese existed until 1767, when it was annexed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

However, in part of Bulgaria in 1186, as a result of the anti-Greek uprising of the brothers Peter and Assen, the Archdiocese of Tarnovo appeared in Danube Bulgaria within the limits of the restored Second Bulgarian Kingdom. The first Archbishop of Tarnovo, Vasily, was not recognized by Constantinople, but soon the archdiocese strengthened its position so much that the question arose of elevating its primate to the rank of Patriarch. This event took place in 1235 after the conclusion of a military alliance between the Bulgarian Tsar John Asen II and the Nicene Emperor John Duca, one of the conditions of which was the recognition of the Tarnovo Archbishop by the Patriarch. In the same year, the church council, chaired by Patriarch German II of Constantinople and with the participation of the Greek and Bulgarian clergy, recognized the patriarchal dignity of Archbishop Joachim of Tarnovo. All the Eastern Patriarchs agreed with the decision of the council and sent their brother "a handwritten of their testimony."

The Second Bulgarian Patriarchy existed for 158 years (1235-1393), when after the defeat inflicted on the Bulgarians by the Turks, Bulgaria loses both ecclesiastical and political independence. Over the years, she reached the full flowering of her spiritual powers and left the names of her glorious primates to church history. One of them was St. Joachim I, an outstanding ascetic of Athos, famous in the patriarchal ministry for his simplicity and mercy. Patriarch Ignatius of Tarnovo is known for his steadfastness and firmness in the confession of the Orthodox faith during the Union of Lyons in 1274 between Constantinople and Catholic Rome.

One of the most outstanding personalities of this time was Patriarch Euthymius, who worked hard for the spiritual enlightenment and correction of worship in his country. He gathered around him a whole school of church writers from Bulgarians, Serbs and Russians, and he himself left several works, including biographies of Bulgarian saints, words of praise and messages. In 1393, during the bloody struggle of the Bulgarians with the Turks, in the absence of the tsar, who was busy with the war, he was the ruler and support of the poverty-stricken people. The saint showed a lofty example of Christian self-sacrifice by going to the camp of the Turks to ask them for mercy on the flock entrusted to him. The Turkish commander himself was amazed at this feat of the Patriarch, received him rather kindly and released him in peace. After the capture of Tyrnov by the Turks, Patriarch Euthymius was sentenced to death, but then sent into exile for life in Thrace, where he died.

With the fall of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, the Tarnovo See was subordinated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople with the rights of a metropolitanate.

1.3. Bulgarian Church during Turkish rule

Bulgarian Orthodoxy suffered the same tragedy as all Orthodox peoples who were under the political rule of the Turks and in church dependence on the Greeks. At that time, only the Ohrid Archdiocese remained the focus of the spiritual life of the Bulgarians, which was under the heavy oppression of the Greek Phanariots. In 1767 it also ceased to exist. Bulgarians were left without their spiritual center, entrusted to the care of the Greek hierarchy. Systematic attempts began on the part of the Greek higher clergy to Hellenize the Bulgarian Church.

However, since the end of the 18th century. the spiritual and national revival of the Bulgarian people begins, at the origins of which was the Monk Paisius of Hilendar (1722-1798), an Athos ascetic, a monk-scientist. In his youth, he went to Mount Athos, where in the monastery libraries he began to study materials related to the history of his people. He collected the same kind of materials during his trips around the country as a monastery preacher and a guide for pilgrims seeking to visit the Holy Mountain. In 1762, the Monk Paisios wrote the "History of the Slavic-Bulgarian about the peoples, and about the kings, and about the saints of the Bulgarian people", in which he cited the facts of the past glory of the Bulgarian people. These works were continued by his disciple Bishop Sophrony of Vratsa (1739-1813).

At this time, the Bulgarians rose up in a decisive struggle for their ecclesiastical and national independence. This struggle, which lasted for several decades, engulfed the entire enslaved Bulgaria and rallied the popular resistance forces. Schools began to open, books were printed. Church-national leaders began to more persistently prove the right of the Bulgarians to restore the autocephaly of their Church. In the 20s. XIX Art. the first protests against the Greek clergy began, and demands appeared to replace the Greek bishops with Bulgarian ones.

In the late 1920s and 30s of the 19th century, when an independent Greek kingdom was formed, the Hellenistic tendencies of the Greek clergy in Bulgaria increased markedly. But at the same time, after the successful Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, the growth of the Bulgarian national identity and church movement also intensified. The ties between the Bulgarians and Russia were strengthened. Since 1838, Bulgarian monks began to study in Russian theological academies, which contributed to the emergence of educated Bulgarian monks who were much more in line with the requirements of episcopal ministry than the less educated Greek candidates.

An important moment in the history of the church-national liberation of the Bulgarians was the events of 1840. The flock of the Tarnovo diocese, brought to an extreme state by the violence of the local Greek Metropolitan Panaret, a rude, uneducated man, a circus fighter in the past, turned to Constantinople with a request to remove him from Tyrnov ... The Turkish government supported this request. The Bulgarians nominated for the vacancy one of the champions of the Bulgarian revival - the archimandrite of the Khilendar monastery Neofita Erected. But the Patriarchate managed to achieve the appointment of a Greek metropolitan, also named Neophytos. Archimandrite Erected was identified with him only in the rank of protosingel, and soon he was exiled to Athos for a three-year term. There he wrote a poignant pamphlet against the Greek clergy: "Enlightened European, half-dead mother Bulgaria and son of Bulgaria." After serving his exile, Archimandrite Neophytos did not stop his activities. He returned to Constantinople, here he became close to the tonsured Hilendar monastery, Father Ilarion Stoyanovich. The large Bulgarian community formed in Constantinople instructed these two church leaders to petition for the opening of a Bulgarian parish church in Constantinople and for sending Bulgarian bishops to the Bulgarian dioceses. By order of the Patriarch, both intercessors were sent to Hilendar in the monastery prison. The neophyte died there, but Hilarion managed, thanks to the protection of the Russian government, to be released. In 1849 a Bulgarian church was consecrated in Constantinople, which soon became the center of the Bulgarian national liberation movement. In 1858, a special Bishop Hilarion (Stoyanovich) was appointed for her with the title of Bishop of Makariopol.

1.4. Movement for autocephaly. Greco-Bulgarian schism and its termination

By the middle of the 19th century, after a series of protests against the injustices of the Greek bishops, the demand for granting it autonomy, and then autocephaly, was formed among the Bulgarian Church. In this regard, in 1858, at a Council convened by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bulgarian representatives put forward a number of demands for the organization of the Bulgarian church organization: the election of bishops in dioceses, in the localities; knowledge of the national language by the bishops, the establishment of their salary.

Due to the fact that these demands were rejected by the Greeks, the bishops of Bulgarian origin decided to independently proclaim their church independence. The insistence of the Bulgarians in the decision to achieve church independence forced the Patriarchate of Constantinople to make some concessions in this matter over time.

In 1860, following the example of Bishop Hilarion, the name of the Patriarch of Constantinople was no longer remembered in Bulgarian churches, which meant a church break with the Patriarchate. Lengthy negotiations began on the conditions for further church life in Bulgaria. Patriarch Joachim II (1860-1863, 1873-1878) considered it necessary to make some concessions to the Bulgarians, and promised to send Bulgarian bishops or at least those who know the Bulgarian language to the Bulgarian dioceses. But the concessions were made late. Now the Bulgarian leaders demanded that the Bulgarians be allowed to participate in the election of the Patriarch on equal terms with the Greeks, and that six Bulgarian bishops be included in the Synod of Constantinople.

At this time, despite protests from the Patriarchs of Constantinople, seeing the determination of the Bulgarians and the growing unrest in the empire, the Turkish government established in 1870 a special Bulgarian Exarchate for the Bulgarian dioceses, as well as those dioceses whose Orthodox inhabitants wish to enter its jurisdiction. He received broad rights of autonomy. The exarchate was asked to commemorate the Patriarch of Constantinople during the divine service, to inform him of its decisions and to receive the Holy Miro in Constantinople for its needs. In fact, the sultan's firman restored the independence of the Bulgarian Church. The First Bulgarian Ecclesiastical and People's Council, held in 1871 in Constantinople, in which participants of the national liberation movement, including Bishops Hilarion of Makariopol, Plovdiv Panaret and Paisiy, Vidinsky Anfim, Lovchansky Hilarion, took part, drew up the Charter of the Bulgarian Exarchate. Its main provisions were also included in the Charter of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which has been in force since 1953.

In 1872, Bishop Hilarion of Lovchansk was elected the first Exarch, but five days later, due to his infirmities, he refused this post. In his place was elected Metropolitan Anfim of Vidin (1816-1888), a graduate of the Moscow Theological Academy. The new Exarch immediately went to Constantinople and received a berat from the Turkish government, granting him the rights partially proclaimed by the Sultan's firman in 1870. In May 1872, during a liturgy in the Bulgarian church of Constantinople, a solemn act was read about the proclamation of the Bulgarian Church as autocephalous.

In response, Patriarch Anfim VI convened a Local Council, defrocked the Bulgarian bishops and declared the Bulgarian Church to be schism-schism, accusing it of heresy of "phyletism". Phyletism presupposes tribal, national division in the Church, which certainly contradicts Christ's teaching about the unity of all Orthodox Christians, regardless of their nationality. However, the anti-Greek position of the Orthodox Bulgarians was provoked by the actions of the Greek episcopate itself. It is noteworthy that by no means all Orthodox Churches considered the decision of the Council of Constantinople to be just, including those of Jerusalem, Antioch, Romanian, Serbian and Russian.

After the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. an independent Bulgarian state arose. Exarch Joseph (1877-1915) became the successor of Exarch Anfim, exiled by the Turks to Asia Minor. His reign fell on the years of the liberation of the Bulgarians by Russian troops in 1878, when the Bulgarian Church was governed by the Synod, headed by the Vice-President, within the borders of the free state. The exarch, right up to 1913, continued to stay in Constantinople, since many Bulgarians still remained on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

After the Balkan War, which brought liberation to the Christians of the Balkan Peninsula, Exarch Joseph in 1913, leaving his governor in Constantinople, moved to Sofia, where he died two years later. After his death for 30 years, the independent development of church life and the election of a new head of the Bulgarian Church met with all sorts of obstacles. The affairs of the Church were in charge of the Holy Synod under the chairmanship of the Vice-President, whom each of the metropolitans could be elected for a four-year term.

In 1921-1922. The Second Ecclesiastical and People's Council - the Local Council of the Bulgarian Church - codified the Bulgarian ecclesiastical laws, adopted a new regulation on church administration and organization, but it came into force only in 1937.

After World War II in 1945, during the reign of Metropolitan Stephen of Sofia, elected Bulgarian Exarch, with the mediation of the Russian Orthodox Church, the split between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Bulgarian Church was eliminated.

1.5. Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the second half of the XX century.

For some time the Bulgarian Church was governed by the Vice-President of the Holy Synod, until in 1953 the Third Church-People's Council elected not the Exarch, but Patriarch Kirill. Immediately after this, misunderstandings arose again in relations with Constantinople, whose representatives did not take part in the enthronement of the new Patriarch. Only in 1961, at the persistent petition of the Russian Orthodox Church, Constantinople finally recognized the patriarchal status of the Bulgarian Church.

During his ministry, Patriarch Kirill developed a very fruitful activity in many areas: liturgical, pastoral and church-social. Making repeated trips abroad, he found time for scientific work in the libraries of Moscow, Leningrad, Belgrade, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna, Paris, Prague; showed great interest in church history, mainly in the Bulgarian Church.

After the death of Patriarch Kirill in 1971, a new primate of the Church was elected - Metropolitan Maxim of Lovchansk.

In the last decade of the XX century. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church was beset by serious turmoil. After the fall of the communist regime of Todor Zhivkov in October 1989, the new government became no less active than the communist one in interfering in the affairs of the Church. A new period began in the life of the Bulgarian Church, accompanied by serious problems. The democratic community came up with demagogic demands against Patriarch Maxim, which contained a call for repentance for cooperation with the communist government, as well as reproaches that his election in 1971 was non-canonical, since it took place with the intervention of the authorities. In June 1990, the press published a letter from 6 members of the Bulgarian Synod, headed by Metropolitan Pimen of Nevrokop, with a similar appeal to repentance.

With the approval of the authorities, during the visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrius in 1991, the "Christian Union of Salvation", headed by Hieromonk Christopher Sabev, held a demonstration of protest against "the priesthood in the party uniform." Sabev, being a member of Parliament and chairman of the parliamentary commission on religion, together with officials of the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers, announced the overthrow of Patriarch Maxim, as collaborating with the communist government, and the dissolution of the Synod.

By 1992, a powerful opposition had formed in the Church, which, with the support of the Democrats in power, went on the offensive. On Easter, the Patriarch was not allowed to perform divine services in the Cathedral, and in May 1992 the government, interfering in the internal affairs of the Bulgarian Church, decided to resign Patriarch Maxim and to recognize the new composition of the Synod, headed by Metropolitan Pimen. Some members of the Holy Synod supported this decision, but others firmly held that the canons did not allow the removal of the Patriarch due to state intervention. Three bishops who supported the government's decision united under the leadership of Metropolitan Pimen of Neurokop and publicly called for the removal of Patriarch Maxim.

On May 25, 1992, the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, in a circular letter, stated that the removal of Patriarch Maxim from power was a fact. In May 1992, an unauthorized schismatic "synod", recognized by the Bulgarian government, began to operate. The residence of the head of the schismatics was in Blagoevgrad. Later, the schismatics managed to seize the building of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, and in September 1992 the schismatics, through the mediation of the government, managed to seize the Sofia Seminary.

In 1995, a number of schismatic hierarchs brought repentance and were accepted into communion by Patriarch Maxim, but the schism did not stop. All Orthodox Churches unanimously supported the legitimate Patriarch Maxim and condemned the actions of the schismatics headed by Metropolitan Pimen, who in 1996 was elected the organizers of the troubles at the "Church-People's Council" out of 95 delegates, the "patriarch." On July 4, at the St. Paraskeva Church in Sofia, the ceremony of enthronement of the "patriarch" Pimen took place, which was conducted by the "patriarch" of Kiev Filaret (Denisenko).

The state continued to exert pressure on the legitimate Church, and in 1997 the Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria canceled the registration of the church administration bodies headed by Patriarch Maxim. The next day, His Holiness Patriarch Maxim met with the President of Bulgaria and announced that he did not intend to leave his post.

In July 1997, after a 44-year hiatus, the Fourth Church-People's Council of the BOC took place. Among the guests of the Cathedral were representatives of the Local Churches. The Council called on the authorities not to hinder, but to assist the Church in fulfilling her saving mission for the good of the people and the Fatherland. The Council also condemned the actions of the schismatics, calling them to repentance and return to the bosom of the Mother Church. The Church-People's Council made important decisions on the organization of internal church life and outlined measures to overcome the schism. The cathedral was recognized as a permanent body, which must meet every 4 years. There are 8 commissions working between sessions, each of which includes a chairman in the rank of bishop, two clergymen and two laymen.

The beginning of overcoming the schism was laid on September 30 - October 1, 1998, when in Sofia, at a meeting of the enlarged Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church under the chairmanship of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and in the presence of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II and 5 more Patriarchs and 20 metropolitans, a reconciliation of the opposing parties. The bishops who were in schism repented of their actions and they again, like the priests and laity sympathizing with them, were accepted into the bosom of the Orthodox Church. However, the schism was never overcome - after a few days most of the schismatic metropolitans renounced their repentance.

On December 17, 2001, the Fifth Church-People's Council of the BOC took place in Sofia. Its main theme was the search for ways to overcome the split. In his report, Patriarch Maxim for the first time openly and decisively named the culprits of the schism and indicated the ways to overcome it as soon as possible. According to the Patriarch, the full responsibility for the split rests with the Union of Democratic Forces that ruled until recently in Bulgaria and personally former president of the republic Petre Stoyanov, Prime Minister Ivan Kostov and the current mayor of Sofia Stefan Sofiyansky. Patriarch Maxim expressed hope for the improvement of church-state relations, which he associates with the activity of Tsar Simeon as head of the Bulgarian cabinet. (Members of the People's Movement Simeon II parliamentary group submitted to the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria a draft law "On Confessions." Overcoming the schism, according to the Patriarch, is possible through the adoption of a new law "On Confessions" by the parliament of the republic and re-registration of all religious associations.

2. The current situation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

2.1. Canonical device

Currently, there are 11 dioceses in the Church, headed by metropolitans: the Sofia Metropolitanate (the ruling bishop is the Patriarch), Varna and Preslav, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidinsky, Vrachanskaya, Dorostolskaya and Chervenskaya, Lovchanskaya, Nevrokopskaya, Plovdivskaya, Slivenskaya, Stara Zagorskaya. Another 2 dioceses are located abroad: the American-Australian (department - New York), Western European (department - Berlin). Outside Bulgaria, there are parishes in Hungary, Romania, Austria, as well as in Berlin, New York and a courtyard in Moscow. Now the BOC has 3,200 churches, 500 chapels, about 2,000 priests, 123 monasteries and sketes, 400 monks and nuns. The church has up to 8 million congregations in Bulgaria, Europe and the USA. From time immemorial, there has been a large Bulgarian monastery of St. George - Zografsky, whose brethren are replenished with monks sent here by the Bulgarian Church.

2.2. Primate and Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church

The Primate of the Bulgarian Church bears the title: His Holiness Patriarch of Bulgaria, Metropolitan of Sofia. The Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim (in the world Marine Naydenov Minkov) was born on October 29, 1914 into a pious family of a craftsman in the village of Oreshak, Troyan-Lovchansky District, not far from the Troyan Monastery. In his childhood, the future Primate of the Bulgarian Church experienced the beneficial influence of the brethren of this monastery.

In 1935 he graduated with honors from the Sofia Theological Seminary, and in 1942 - the Theological Faculty of the Sofia State University named after St. Clement of Ohridsky. In the last year of the faculty, on December 13, 1941, Marin took monastic vows with the name Maxim, and on December 19 he was ordained a hierodeacon. After a short service as Metropolitan Deacon in Lovech, he was appointed teacher-educator of the Sofia Theological Seminary. He was in this position from 1942 to 1947.

On May 14, 1944, he was ordained a hieromonk, and on October 12, 1947, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed protosingel of the Dorostolo-Cherven metropolitanate. In 1950, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the BOC, Archimandrite Maxim was appointed rector of the Bulgarian courtyard in Moscow. His ministry in Moscow lasted for almost six years - until the end of 1955. At this time, Father Maxim expanded his knowledge of the Russian Orthodox Church, met its archpastors and pastors, and won the common love of his parishioners.

After returning to his homeland, Archimandrite Maxim was appointed chief secretary of the Holy Synod of the BOC (he held this position in 1955-1960) and chairman of the editorial board of synodal periodicals (1957-1960). On December 30, 1956, he was ordained Bishop of Branitsk, and on October 30, 1960, he was proclaimed Metropolitan of Lovchansk.

At the Patriarchal electoral Church-People's Council of the BOC held on July 4-8, 1971 in Sofia, Metropolitan Maxim of Lovchansk, who after the death of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of the Bulgarian Church as Viceroy-Chairman of the Holy Synod, was elected the new Primate of the Church. His enthronement took place on July 4 at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia.

In 1974, the Council of the Sofia Theological Academy awarded His Holiness Patriarch Maxim for his theological works the scientific degree of Doctor of Theology "honoris causa". On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Patriarch Maxim, the Synodal Publishing House in Sofia published a collection of his works "In the Lord's Field" (Sofia, 1975). The book includes words, speeches and articles by Patriarch Maxim for 1950-1974.

The highest spiritual authority in the BOC belongs to the Holy Synod, which consists of all the ruling bishops (metropolitans) chaired by the Patriarch and the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod (also the Metropolitan). The small composition of the Synod (permanently working) includes only 4 metropolitans, elected for a period of 4 years by all the bishops of the Church. Legislative power belongs to the Church-People's Council, whose members are all serving bishops, as well as a certain number of clergy and secular persons. The highest judicial and administrative power is exercised by the Synod, which has a Supreme Church Council, which is in charge of economic and financial matters in the Bulgarian Church. The posts of the Patriarch and bishops are elective and for life. The transfer of metropolitans from diocese to diocese is prohibited.

Metropolises are subdivided into governorships (similar to our deaneries). Some metropolises have vicar bishops. The ecclesiastical court is carried out by the Holy Synod, the Metropolitan Council, and the Abbot Council of monasteries.

2.3. Saints and shrines of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

The following saints are especially venerated by the Bulgarian Church:

St. Prince Boris (+907) - Baptist of the Bulgarians and the first Bulgarian ascetic. In 889 he renounced the throne and went to a monastery, where he died. Prince Boris was notable for his zeal in church building. At his expense, the monastery of St. Nauma.

Sts. brothers Cyril (+869) and Methodius (+885), creators of Slavic writing, translators of liturgical and sacred books into Slavic.

St. Clement, Bishop of Ohrid (+916) - one of the most capable disciples of St. Cyril and Methodius. After the death of St. Methodius, when his disciples were expelled from Moravia, St. Clement, along with Naum and Angelarius, were received by St. Prince Boris, who soon appointed St. Clement teacher and preacher in the region of Kutmichevitsa, located in what is now Western Macedonia and Southern Albania. During this time, he stayed for a long time in Ohrid and Hlavienica. About 3,500 students of St. Clement's became readers, subdeacons, deacons, priests and bishops. The abandoned St. Clement's dogmatic creations - "Praise of the Holy Trinity, the Creation of the World and the Last Judgment", "Word of the Nativity of Christ" and "Praise of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel".

St. Naum (+910) - friend of St. Clement, the organizer of the Preslav Literary School, which translated patristic works (St. Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, etc.) Naum on the leadership of the school of Constantine, Bishop of Preslav).

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church named Saints Cyril and Methodius, Clement, Naum, Gorazd, Savva and Angelaria as the Seven Numbers.

St. John of Rylsky was born in the second half of the 9th century. in with. Screen (Sofia region). As a child, he was a shepherd. He took monastic vows in a nearby monastery. Soon he left for the Rila area (123 km from Sofia), where he founded a monastery, which became a national shrine in all subsequent centuries of Bulgarian history. He died in 946 and is revered as the patron saint of Bulgaria.

26 martyrs-monks of the Zograf monastery of Athos (Bulgarians) suffered at the hands of the Byzantine emperor Michael Palaeologus, who concluded a union with Rome in 1274. In 1283, the emperor, who was greatly irritated by the reluctance of the Athonite monks to accept the union, together with the Catholic clergy burned 26 monks in tower of the Zograf monastery.

St. Theodosia Tarnovsky - originally from Tyrnov, an ascetic of the first half of the XIV century. (+1363), teacher of St. Euphemia, later the famous Tarnovo Patriarch. St. Theodosius in his exploit followed the ideas of hesychasm and tried to spread and establish these ideas in Bulgaria. In the history of the spiritual enlightenment of the Bulgarians, St. Theodosius is also known as an exemplary translator of patristic works from Greek into Bulgarian.

The above-mentioned St. Euthymius, Patriarch of Tarnovsky, whose entire ministry was aimed at the spiritual growth of the Church, at strengthening the country, improving the condition of the people, strengthening its unity, necessary to preserve the Bulgarians as a nation in the face of the danger of Ottoman conquests.

In Bulgaria, the new martyrs are also venerated (this is the name of the saints who suffered during the Turkish conquest) - St. martyrs John New Tarnovsky, Constantine Sofiysky, Rada Plovdivskaya, Milian, Misho and Gajo, Khadija-Maria, New Martyrs of Orekhov, New Martyrs of Viev, and others.

Saints Paisios, abbot of the Hilendar monastery, and Sophronius, bishop of Vratsa, are especially revered by the Bulgarians.

Monasteries occupy an important place in the history of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. In the monasteries, the Orthodox faith was sacredly confessed and the spirit of Eastern asceticism was embodied. In the early days of their emergence and existence, the Bulgarian monasteries, founded by kings and rulers, played an important role in the Christian enlightenment of their people and in the creation of Christian culture.

The period of the First and Second Bulgarian Kingdoms, beginning with Tsar Peter, can be called the "golden age" of Bulgarian monasticism. At this time, Christian truths are embodied in the lives of the best representatives of the Bulgarian Church: St. John of Rylsky, St. Joachim Osogovsky, Venerable Prokhor Pshinsky, St. Gabriel Lesnovsky. Monasteries at this time were erected not only by the rulers, but also by the labors and prayers of the inhabitants themselves. Around the monasteries at this time, a stormy Christian life is in full swing. In the XIV century. Bulgarian monasticism in the person of St. Theodosius of Tarnovsky and St. Euthymius of Tarnovsky and their schools have an influence not only within the country, but also on the entire Orthodox Slavic world. During the Turkish conquest, almost all monasteries suffered, many of them fell into disrepair. In this difficult time, when the question of survival was acute for the entire Bulgarian people and their culture, monasteries were spiritual strongholds and a place for the preservation of the nationality. Monasteries were the keepers of sacred books, ancient manuscripts that testified to the glorious past.

By the end of the 18th century. among monastics, people appear who awaken the people from their spiritual sleep, strengthen their faith and national identity - St. Paisius of Hilendar and St. Sofroniy Vrachansky. In the XIX century. representatives of monasticism not only wake up the people, but also actively participate in the liberation struggle. But nevertheless, this deprived the representatives of monasticism of the opportunity to deepen ascetic deeds and inner work. The war of liberation, the First and Second World Wars, the establishment of the communist regime had a negative impact on the life of monasteries, their educational and spiritual role.

At present, the Bulgarian Church has two kinds of monasteries: subordinate directly to the Holy Synod and subordinate to the local ruling bishop. The monasteries are governed by the Igumen Council, consisting of 6 monks, headed by an abbot elected by the entire monastic community.

Rila monastery, founded by St. John of Rylsky in 927, at the first time of its existence was in good condition. Its inhabitants sacredly fulfilled the behests of their mentor - the founder of the monastery, and this also led to the external improvement of the monastery. Even during its creation, the Rila Monastery became a literary center. In the XIV century. the monastery was destroyed by an avalanche. It was restored by the feudal lord Khrele, who built an impressive 25-meter tower ("Khrelev Tower") in it, which still stands today, despite the fact that during the Turkish rule in the Balkans the monastery was destroyed and burned three times. It was restored in its current form in 1834-1837. Cathedral Church - in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The main shrines of the monastery are the relics of St. John and the icon of the XII century. Of the Most Holy Theotokos Hodegetria. The monastery has a museum and a library with valuable manuscripts. The monastery played an important role in the liberation of the Bulgarians.

An important place in the history of the Bulgarian Church is occupied by the Bachkovo Monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. It was founded in 1083 by one of the highest Byzantine dignitaries, the outstanding commander Grigory Bakuriani. Since Bakuriani was probably a Georgian by nationality, the monastery was declared Georgian. Only Georgians could be his monks. Soon Bakuriani fell on the battlefield. The emperor ordered to erect a hitherto existing church in the monastery in the name of the holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in memory of his companion. Since the XIV century. the brethren of the monastery began to replenish with monks of Greek and Bulgarian nationality. In the last quarter of the XIX century. between the Bulgarians and Greeks there was a stubborn struggle for the possession of the monastery. In 1894 the Holy Synod of the BOC took over the monastery. Stavropegic monastery. The main monastery church houses the miraculous image of the Mother of God of the 11th century. with inscriptions in Georgian.

The Troyan Monastery is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria after Rylsky and Bachkovsky. According to the monastery chronicle, around 1600 a monk with his disciples asceticised here. Soon one hieromonk, heading from the Holy Mountain to Wallachia, visited this place and left a copy of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Three-handed". A wooden church and several cells were built. In the first half of the 18th century. the monastery expanded and strengthened economically. At this time, a school was opened in it, which continued its work after the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turks. The Trojan Monastery was a refuge for the freedom fighters in Bulgaria. In 1872, a secret monastic committee headed by Abbot Macarius was organized here. All the current buildings of the monastery date back to 1835-1865. The monastery has a rich collection of icons.

The Batoshevsky Monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos (near the town of Sevlievo) was founded in the 13th century. After the conquest of Tyrnov by the Turks, the monastery was destroyed and rebuilt only in the 30s. XIX Art.

The Peter and Paul Convent near the village of Lyaskovets was founded during the reign of the Asen dynasty (1186-1350). During the years of Turkish rule in the Balkans, the monastery was destroyed twice, but by the concerns of the zealots Orthodox monasticism has been restored. In 1874 the first Bulgarian Theological School was opened here. It existed here for 12 years - until 1886, then it was first transferred to Tyrnov, and by fasting to Samokov.

The Vitosha Convent of the Most Pure Mother of God, located near Vitosha Mountain, was founded in 1345 by the Bulgarian ruler Ivan Alexander. After the destruction by the Turks, the monastery was restored around 1469 and since then has remained one of the cultural and educational centers of the Bulgarian people. Since the same year, the monastery has a church in the name of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

After the liberation from Byzantine rule, and especially in the XIII and XIV centuries. v. In Bulgaria, again, at the request and with the support of the Bulgarian kings and feudal lords, monastic cloisters were established in the regions of Staraplanina, Rila, Vitosha, Rhodope and especially near Tarnovo. Most of the Tarnovo monasteries are associated with the teaching activities of the Asenovs and their successors. The monasteries of the Great Lavra of Sts. 40 Martyrs, St. Our Lady of the Guides on the hill of St. Mountain, St. John of Rylsky on Trapezitsa Hill, St. Mark on the banks of the river. Yantras, St. Theotokos Temnitskaya opposite the Tsarevets hill. The Kapinovsky Monastery of St. Nikola (1272), Plakovsky monastery of St. Elijah, St. 40 martyrs, and others. The outskirts of Sofia - the slopes of Vitosha and the southern slopes of Staraplanina - are also dotted with monasteries: the Dragalevsky Monastery of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Kremikovsky Monastery of St. George, St. Nikola, Kokalyansky monastery of St. Archangel Michael, Kladnitsky monastery of St. Nikola. Later, a group of monasteries "Sophia Holy Mountain" was formed, which is also called "Small Holy Mountain", uniting fourteen monasteries headed by the Bistritsa Monastery of St. George. Such monastic groups are also created near the city of Sliven, with the center in the Sotirov Monastery of St. Spas near Asenovgrad and in other places.

In northwestern Bulgaria, the Klisursky (Vreshtitsky) Monastery of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Etropolsky Monastery of St. Trinity ("Varovitez"), Dryanovo monastery of St. Archangel Michael, founded in 1190 by the Asenovs in honor of the victory over the Byzantines, reaches its peak in the second half of the 14th century, when there is a school here for the preparation of literary figures and copyists of books. Lyaskovsky Monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul was also founded in honor of the liberation of Bulgaria from Byzantine rule. The Arbanas Monastery of St. Nicholas, Arbanassky monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Transfiguration monastery, founded in the XIV century. with the support of Tsar Ivan Alexander, by the end of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom turned into one of the most important spiritual and educational centers of the Bulgarian people, the Ivanovo rock monastery in the cave, Aladzha - the rock monastery of the Holy Trinity, the Rozhen monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Glozhensky monastery, and others.

During this period, there were also Bulgarian monasteries on Mount Athos - Zograf and Hilendar. Zograf is called a Bulgarian monastery in the 12th century letters. According to the hrisovul kept in this monastery, it was founded in 919.

During the Turkish domination, the monasteries of the Seven Thrones (Osenovlaksky), Kurilovsky St. John of Rylsky, St. Cyril and Methodius, Kalofersky Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, Iliensky Monastery of St. Elijah the Prophet in Sofia, Alin Monastery of St. Savior, Pasarela Monastery of Sts. Apostles Peter and Paul, Kalofersky Monastery of the Presentation of the Virgin, Bistretsky Monastery of St. Apostle John the Theologian, Muldava Monastery of St. Petka Muldavskaya, Kuklensky Monastery of Sts. the unmercenaries of Cosmas and Damian, the Cherepish Dormition Monastery, and others.

A large nunnery is the monastery in Kazanlak with the main church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. This monastery was built during the Turkish rule in the Balkans with donations collected in Russia. Among other women's convents, the monastery in Sopot in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos should be mentioned.

The Bulgarian monasteries were especially actively renovated and restored in the late 18th and early 20th centuries.

2.4. Spiritual education in the Bulgarian Church

Among the educational institutions, it is necessary to note two seminaries in Sofia and Plovdiv, the Theological Faculty of Tarnovo University and the Theological faculty of the Sofia University of St. Clement of Ohridsky, transformed from the Sofia Theological Academy.

The Sofia Theological Seminary was founded in 1874. Initially, the school was located in the Lyaskov Monastery of Sts. the first apostles Peter and Paul brought the name "Theological School". In 1897, the Holy Synod of the BOC submitted to the Sofia City Administration a proposal to locate a theological school in the capital and received a large plot in the center of the city for the construction of buildings. Already in 1902, the foundation stone was laid for the foundation of the central building of the seminary. In January 1903 it was built and classes began there.

The change in the political structure after the end of World War II interrupted the days of the prosperous existence of the Sofia Theological Seminary. From 1944 to 1946 the complex of seminary buildings was transferred to the use of the Soviet army, then - to the Union of Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship. All this time, the seminary continued to occupy a small part of its own buildings, until in 1950 the authorities demanded its complete transfer to the Cherepish Monastery. In the spring of 1990, the complex of seminary buildings was returned to the Sofia Theological Seminary.

The Seminary is directly subordinate to the Holy Synod of the BOC and is an accredited secondary specialized educational institution. The seminary enrolls 160 students aged 14 to 19 in a five-year course and 116 students with completed secondary education over the age of 20 in an accelerated two-year course.

The idea of ​​opening a theological faculty in Bulgaria was born even before the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish yoke. The first serious steps in this direction were made only in 1908, when the Holy Synod of the BOC sent a letter to the Ministry of Confessions with a request to open a faculty. The law on public education, adopted by the People's Assembly in 1921, provided for the opening of the Theological Faculty of the University with 8 departments:

Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, Systematic theology, History of religions and history of Christianity, Church archeology and liturgy, Pastoral theology and patristics, Church law and Homiletics. One of the main founders of this theological school was the former professor of the Petrograd Theological Academy NN Glubokovsky, who occupied the chair of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament.

Studies at the Faculty of Theology began in the fall of 1923. In 1951, for political reasons, the Faculty of Theology was separated from the university and began to exist as the Theological Academy of St. Kliment Ohridski under the authority of the Bulgarian Church. On July 1, 1991, the former Theological Academy again became a faculty of the Sofia University. B. 1998/99 academic year 682 students studied at the faculty (328 full-time and 339 by correspondence), and 7 doctoral students.

Currently, the faculty has seven departments: Holy Scripture of the Old Testament, Holy Scripture of the New Testament, Church History, Dogmatic and Moral Theology, Christian Apologetics and Christian Philosophy, Church Law, Practical Theology. The curriculum of the Faculty of Theology is drawn up in accordance with the requirements of the law on higher education. The faculty provides education in the specialty "theology (theology)" with qualification degrees "bachelor" and "master". There are two libraries at the faculty: the main one - 40 thousand volumes and the newly opened "Library" with a fund of about 2 thousand volumes.

In October 2001, a meeting of rectors of theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church and Bulgaria took place at the Moscow Theological Academy, which ended with the signing of a cooperation agreement. The agreement provides for the exchange of students, teachers, joint information and scientific activities.

The official publications of the Bulgarian Church are "Church Bulletin" and the magazine "Spiritual Culture". There is a "Yearbook" of the Faculty of Theology. In 1974, the Church-Historical and Archival Institute was founded under the Patriarchate. Its task is to research the history of the Bulgarian Church and other Churches, research and publish church-historical archives.

The abstract is compiled on the basis of publications: Skurat K.E. History of Local Orthodox Churches. - M., 1994. - T. 1, 2; Orthodox calendar for 2000; as well as the site http://www.pravoslavie.ru and the official sites of the Local Orthodox Churches.

Kiev Theological Academy

Lecture notes

Compiled by: Associate Professor Archpriest Vasily Zaev, Head. Chair of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, Ph.D.

Kiev 2003

A brief history of the church

According to legend, the first to preach Christianity on the territory of Bulgaria were the disciple Apostle Amplius (in Odysse, now Varna) and the apostle from 70 (in Philippopolis of Thrace, now Plovdiv). It was in these cities that the first episcopal sees appeared.

In 865, the Bulgarian Tsar Boris I was baptized by a Byzantine bishop, and soon there was a mass baptism of the inhabitants. In 919, the independence (autocephaly) of the Bulgarian Church was proclaimed for the first time, which received the status of patriarchy. Autocephaly was abolished in 1018, after the victory of Byzantium over Bulgaria.

In the XIV century, a special, saving spiritual practice - hesychasm, proclaimed by the saint, became widespread among the Bulgarian monks. Hesychasts were the Monk Theodosius of Tarnovsky, Patriarch Euthymius of Tarnovsky and their disciples.

At the end of the 14th century, Bulgaria was conquered by the Turks and remained under the Turkish yoke until 1878. At this time, Orthodox Bulgarians were subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In some periods, priests were even forbidden to serve in the Slavic language, but were forced to serve in Greek. The Bulgarian Church gained independence only in 1872

In the Bulgarian Church, the holy prince Boris, the baptist of the Bulgarian people, is especially revered; the holy brothers equal to the apostles and - the creators of the Slavic writing, translated into the Slavic language the books of Holy Scripture and liturgical books, and St. Clement, Bishop of Ohrid - one of the disciples of the holy brothers. Also revered are the patriarch of Tarnovo, Saint Euthymius, who served the spiritual growth of the Church and the strengthening of the country; Abbot of the Khilandar monastery the Monk Paisios and Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Vratsa, glorified in 1964. Heavenly patron Bulgaria - the founder of one of the most famous monasteries, saint.

In 1992, with the active participation of politicians, a split began in the Bulgarian Church. Some of the hierarchs opposed the current Patriarch Maxim and formed an "alternative synod". Almost all the property of the church, except for most of the temples, was transferred to the disposal of the schismatics. Only in 1998 did the conflict begin to fade. In 2003, the canonical hierarchy received official registration and was recognized by the state, and a year later the schismatic churches were transferred to the Bulgarian Church.

Patriarch of Bulgaria

The future patriarch Neophyte (in the world Simeon Nikolov Dimitrov) was born on October 15, 1945 in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. After graduating from the Sofia Theological Academy in 1971, he completed his education at the Moscow Theological Academy, received a PhD in Theology for his dissertation on the topic "The Moscow Synodal Direction in Russian Church Singing and Its Significance." In 1973 he returned to Sofia and taught church singing at the theological academy, in 1975 he became a monk, and in 1976 he was ordained a hieromonk. In 1985 he was ordained a bishop, in 1989 he was appointed rector of the Sofia Theological Academy, since 1992 he served as the chief secretary of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. In 1994 he became Metropolitan of Dorostolsky and Chervensky, and in 2013 he was elected Patriarch of Bulgaria.

Material from the ABC of the pilgrims

Bulgaria(Bulgarian Bulgaria), full official form - Republic of Bulgaria(bulg. Republic of Bulgaria) - a state in South-Eastern Europe, in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, occupies 22% of its area.

Largest cities

• Sofia
• Plovdiv
• Varna
• Burgas

Orthodoxy in Bulgaria

Orthodoxy in Bulgaria- one of the traditional Christian denominations that has spread on the territory of Bulgaria since the 5th-7th centuries. Orthodoxy is professed by about 82.6% of the country's population (2010).

History

On the territory of modern Bulgaria, Christianity began to spread already in the 1st century. According to the legend of the Bulgarian Church, the episcopal see was in the city of Odessa (now Varna), where the bishop was a disciple of the Apostle Paul Amplius.

Baptism of the Preslav Court (N. Pavlovich)

Eusebius of Caesarea reports that in the II century, on the territory of present-day Bulgaria, there were episcopal sees in the cities of Debelt and Anchial. A member of the First Ecumenical Council, 325 years old, was Protogon, Bishop of Sardica (present-day Sophia).

In 865 under St. For Prince Boris, the universal baptism of the Bulgarian people takes place. After four years of union with the Roman Church, in 870 the Bulgarian Church became autonomous under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Currently, more than 5,905,000 people identify themselves as followers of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the largest Orthodox organization in the country. Despite the split that occurred in 1992 with the assistance of the political authorities, when some of the hierarchs opposed Patriarch Maxim, accusing him of having links with the former communist government, and considering his enthronement non-canonical, as well as the formation of an alternative Synod by the schismatics, most of the clergy did not join the split. In the 1990s, the canonical hierarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church were not officially recognized by the state, and almost all the real estate of the church (except for churches) was transferred to the disposal of the schismatics. In 1996, the former Neurokop Metropolitan Pimen (Enev) was proclaimed an alternative Patriarch. Pimen's group announced the canonization of Hierodeacon Ignatius (Vasil Levsky).

At the Pan-Orthodox Conference in 1998, a part of the majority of the hierarchy, headed by Pimen, was accepted into the bosom of the canonical Church. and in 2003 the hierarchy of the Bulgarian Church received official registration and was recognized by the state. In 2004, the schismatic churches were transferred to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and in 2012 the head of the Alternative Synod brought repentance, which can be considered the completion of the schism.

On December 9, 2011, the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria decided to allocate about 880 thousand euros from the state budget for the needs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 2012. 150 thousand euros will be allocated for the repair of church buildings of national importance. Almost 300 thousand euros (597 thousand leva) will be separately allocated to the famous Rila Monastery. Currently, Orthodox clergy with higher education (that is, those who graduated from the theological academy) receive 300 levs, and those who graduated from the theological seminary - 240 levs. In large cities, priests can receive 1500-2500 levs thanks to requirements, primarily weddings and baptisms, and in rural parishes, the income of priests is often limited to only one salary.

Bulgarian Old Calendar Church

The Bulgarian Old Calendar Church separated from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 1990 due to discontent among the conservative part of the population of Bulgaria with the introduction in 1968 in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of the New Julian calendar.

Currently, it is headed by Metropolitan Photius of Triad (Siromakha) and has 17 churches, 9 chapels, 2 monasteries, 20 priests and about 70 thousand believers.

Old Believers

Followers of the Russian Old Believers traditionally lived on the territory of Bulgaria. Currently, several villages professing the Old Believers are under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church, as well as the Russian Old Orthodox Church.

Shrines

The relics of saints and miraculous icons in Bulgaria are in the churches and monasteries of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

• The relics of St. King Stephen Milyutin of Serbia (XIV century) (Sofia, Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ)
• The relics of St. St. Modest of Jerusalem (VII century) (Sofia, Church of St. John of Rila, Sofia Theological Seminary)
• The relics of St. St. Seraphim Sobolev (XX century) (Sofia, Russian Nikolsky Cathedral)
• The relics of St. St. John of Rila (10th century) (Rila Monastery, Kyustendil region, approx. 20 km north-east of Rila)
• Icon of the Mother of God "Odigitria" (Rila Monastery)
• "Iverskaya" icon of the Mother of God (Rozhen Monastery, Blagoevgrad region, 6 km. From Melnik, near the village of Rozhen)
• The original of the "Bachkovo" icon of the Mother of God (Bachkovo Monastery, 10 km. South of Asenovgrad, near the village of Bachkovo)
• "Blakhernskaya" icon of the Mother of God (Bachkovo monastery)
• Icon "Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (Kalofer Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin, approx. 20 km. East of Karlovo, near Kalofer)
• Icon of the Mother of God "Troyeruchitsa" (Troyan Monastery, 10 km. From Troyan, near the village of Oreshak)
• Icon of St. George the Victorious (Glozhensky Monastery, west of Lovech, near the village of Glozhene)
• Icon of St. George the Victorious (Pomorie, Monastery of St. George the Victorious)
• "Jerusalem" icon of the Mother of God (Kazanlak, Kazanlak Vvedensky Monastery)
• Icon of the Mother of God "Odigitria-Black" (Nessebar, Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Icon of the Mother of God "Gerondissa" (Varna, Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Temples

• Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel (Arbanassi)
• Church of the Nativity of Christ (Arbanassi)
• Church of the Holy Week (Batak)
• Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Varna)
• Cathedral of St. Demetrius (Vidin)
• Church of St. John Aliturgetos (Nessebar)
• Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel (Nessebar)
• Church of Christ Pantokrator (Nessebar)
• Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (Svishtov)
• Temple-monument of Alexander Nevsky (Sofia)
• Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Sofia)
• Cathedral of the Holy Week (Sofia)
• Hagia Sophia (Sofia)
• Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Targovishte)
• Monument Church of the Nativity of Christ (Shipka)

Monasteries

• Bakadzhik monastery (near the village of Chargan, 10 km from Yambol)
• Bachkovo monastery (10 km south of Asenovgrad, near the village of Bachkovo)
• St. George the Victorious (Pomorie)
• Glozhene monastery (west of Lovech, near the village of Glozhene)

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