19th Century Cathedral in Bulgaria’s Danube City of Vidin Gets Restoration Funding from Government

19th Century Cathedral in Bulgaria’s Danube City of Vidin Gets Restoration Funding from Government

Bulgaria’s outgoing Cabinet has allocated nearly BGN 1 million (app. EUR 500,000) in funding for the conservation and restoration of the St. Great-Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki Cathedral in the Danube city of Vidin, one of the largest churches in the…

Bulgaria Celebrates 78th Anniversary since Rescue of Bulgarian Jews from Holocaust of Nazi Death Camps

Bulgaria Celebrates 78th Anniversary since Rescue of Bulgarian Jews from Holocaust of Nazi Death Camps

Bulgaria marked on March 9-10, 2021, the 78th anniversary since the days its civil society and key government and church figures prevented the deportation of almost 50,000 Bulgarian Jews to Nazi death camps during World War II, and thus saved…

'Pillow' Brick with Gospel of John Inscription in 13th Century Clergyman Grave, Byzantine Gold Threads Found in Medieval Bulgarian Capital Tarnovgrad

‘Pillow’ Brick with Gospel of John Inscription in 13th Century Clergyman Grave, Byzantine Gold Threads Found in Medieval Bulgarian Capital Tarnovgrad

A senior medieval clergyman’s grave from the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire, possibly even one of the patriarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, containing a brick with an inscription quoting the Gospel of John, has been discovered during the…

8 Years after Theft of St. John the Baptist Relics in Bulgaria’s Sliven, Finder Laments Unresolved Case

8 Years after Theft of St. John the Baptist Relics in Bulgaria’s Sliven, Finder Laments Unresolved Case

The case of the theft of a particle from the holy relics of St. John the Baptist committed in the city of Sliven back in 2012, less than 2 years after the relics’ discovery on a Black Sea island, has…

Bulgaria Celebrates Day of National Awakeners

Bulgaria Celebrates Day of National Awakeners

Bulgaria marks on November 1, 2020, its Day of National Awakeners, a holiday designed to honor the people who brought about the “awakening” or revival of the Bulgarian nation in the 18th, 19th and early 20th century.

Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Burgas Starts Restoration of 120-Year-Old Cathedral with EU Funding

Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Burgas Starts Restoration of 120-Year-Old Cathedral with EU Funding

The largest and oldest church in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas, the St. Cyril and St. Methodius Cathedral, is undergoing long-awaited restoration.

Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna Starts Restoration of 134-Year-Old Golden-Dome Cathedral

Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna Starts Restoration of 134-Year-Old Golden-Dome Cathedral

Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Varna, successor of ancient Odessos, has started the restoration of its largest church, the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral, whose construction was completed 134 years ago.

Bulgaria Marks 1155 Years since Adoption of Christianity as Official Religion by First Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria Marks 1155 Years since Adoption of Christianity as Official Religion by First Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria and Bulgarian Orthodox Christians marked on Saturday, May 2, 2020, the 1155th anniversary since the formal adoption of Christianity as the official state religion back in 865 AD under the leadership of St. Knyaz Boris I Mihail (r. 852-889;…

Still Europe’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack: 95 Years since the St. Nedelya Cathedral Bombing by Bulgarian Communists Funded by the Soviet Union

Still Europe’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack: 95 Years since the St. Nedelya Cathedral Bombing by Bulgarian Communists Funded by the Soviet Union

On April 16, 2020, Bulgaria remembered the 95th year since what is still the deadliest single terrorist attack on European soil: the bombing of the St. Nedelya Cathedral in downtown Sofia back in 1925 by communist terrorists sponsored and funded…

Fundraising for 'Rescue' of 7 Stolen ‘Royal’ Icons under Way in Bulgaria's Burgas

Fundraising for ‘Rescue’ of 7 Stolen ‘Royal’ Icons under Way in Bulgaria’s Burgas

The Regional Museum of History in Bulgaria’s Burgas and the local bureau of the Bulgarian National Radio have launched a campaign to raise money for the restoration of a total of 7 large “royal” icons which were recovered from thieves…

Dozens of Icons Stolen in 4 Robberies of 3 Churches in Ruse District in Northeast Bulgaria

Dozens of Icons Stolen in 4 Robberies of 3 Churches in Ruse District in Northeast Bulgaria

A total of three churches in small towns have been robbed in the Ruse District in Northeast Bulgaria, with the thieves stealing icons, among other religious artifacts.

162-Year-Old Church with Valuable Original Iconostasis Gets Fully Renovated in Bulgaria’s Plakovo

162-Year-Old Church with Valuable Original Iconostasis Gets Fully Renovated in Bulgaria’s Plakovo

A 162-year-old church with an original iconostasis built back when Bulgaria was still part of the Ottoman Empire has been completely renovated, and literally reborn, in the town of Plakovo, Veliko Tarnovo District, as a result of a 13-year-long effort,…

Weird 15th Century Miners’ Burials, Venetian Theriac Cap Found in Bulgaria’s Kremikovtsi Monastery near Sofia

Weird 15th Century Miners’ Burials, Venetian Theriac Cap Found in Bulgaria’s Kremikovtsi Monastery near Sofia

Dozens of weird Christian burials in which 15th and 16th century local miners were buried with bricks on their heads have been discovered in a late medieval necropolis at the Kremikovtsi Monastery right outside of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia.

‘Seven Tales about Faith’ Exhibition Shows Unseen Orthodox Christian Treasures in Archaeology Museum in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv

‘Seven Tales about Faith’ Exhibition Shows Unseen Orthodox Christian Treasures in Archaeology Museum in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv

The Regional Museum of Archaeology in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. has presented an exhibition entitled “Seven Tales about the Faith” featuring religious treasures from Bulgarian Orthodox Christianity which are shown to the public for the first time.

Communist Bulgaria’s Intelligence Plotted Greece – Turkey Conflict by Setting on Fire Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Secret Files Reveal

Communist Bulgaria’s Intelligence Plotted Greece – Turkey Conflict by Setting on Fire Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Secret Files Reveal

Top secret intelligence files now made public have revealed that back in 1971, the intelligence service of Bulgaria’s communist regime plotted and nearly realized a plan to cause a conflict between Greece and Turkey, and embarrassment for the United States,…

New Exhibition Showcases Bulgaria’s 15th-19th Century Religious Culture and Folklore Art at National Museum of History in Sofia

New Exhibition Showcases Bulgaria’s 15th-19th Century Religious Culture and Folklore Art at National Museum of History in Sofia

Bulgaria’s National Museum of History in Sofia is opening a new exhibition which is to showcase “The Sacred Space of Religious Culture and Folklore Art in the Bulgarian Lands, 15th-19th century.”

Antiquity, Medieval Artifacts Exposed by Landslide Show Bulgaria’s Troyan Monastery May Be Much Older than Known

Antiquity, Medieval Artifacts Exposed by Landslide Show Bulgaria’s Troyan Monastery May Be Much Older than Known

Archaeological artifacts from the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages have been exposed by a landslide near the Troyan Monastery meaning that Bulgaria’s third largest monastery might have been founded long before 1600, as presently thought.

Archaeologists Find Large Stone Canal underneath 9th Century Great Basilica in Early Medieval Bulgarian Capital Pliska

Archaeologists Find Large Stone Canal underneath 9th Century Great Basilica in Early Medieval Bulgarian Capital Pliska

A large underground drainage canal built of stone has been discovered during the latest rescue excavations of the 9th century AD Great Basilica in Pliska, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018 AD) between 680 and 893 AD.

Bulgaria Marks 1,100th Anniversary since Dormintion of St. Kliment Ohridski, Alleged Author of Bulgarian (Cyrillic) Alphabet

Bulgaria Marks 1,100th Anniversary since Dormintion of St. Kliment Ohridski, Alleged Author of Bulgarian (Cyrillic) Alphabet

Bulgaria has marked on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, the 1,100th year since the dormintion of St. Kliment Ohridski (St. Clement of Ohrid) (840 – ca. 916), the disciple of St. Cyril and St. Methodius who allegedly invented the Bulgarian (Cyrillic)…

Bulgaria Marks 775th Year since Passing of Tsar Ivan Asen II, Most Powerful Ruler of Second Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria Marks 775th Year since Passing of Tsar Ivan Asen II, Most Powerful Ruler of Second Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria marked on Friday, June 24, 2016, the 775th year since the passing of Tsar Ivan Asen II (r. 1218-1241) known as the most powerful and successful ruler of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396).

10th-Century Church ‘St. George’ in Bulgaria’s Kyustendil Presented in New Brochure in English by Regional Museum of History

10th-Century Church ‘St. George’ in Bulgaria’s Kyustendil Presented in New Brochure in English by Regional Museum of History

The Regional Museum of History in the western Bulgarian city of Kyustendil has published a new information brochure on the 10th century church “St. George”, one of Bulgaria’s best preserved and most famous medieval monuments.

Bulgaria Marks 1151 Years since Adoption of Christianity as Official Religion by First Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria Marks 1151 Years since Adoption of Christianity as Official Religion by First Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria and Bulgarian Orthodox Christians have celebrated the 1151st anniversary since the formal adoption of Christianity as the official state religion in 865 AD under the leadership of St. Knyaz Boris I Mihail (r. 852-889; 893 AD) during the First…

Bulgaria’s Parliament Showcases Originals of Four Bulgarian Constitutions, Honors First Exarch in Special ‘Constitution Day’ Exhibit

Bulgaria’s Parliament Showcases Originals of Four Bulgarian Constitutions, Honors First Exarch in Special ‘Constitution Day’ Exhibit

A special exhibition at Bulgaria’s Parliament has been organized to honor April 16, Bulgaria’s Constitution Day, and to the 200th anniversary since the birth of Exarch Anthim I, the first head of the Bulgarian Exarchate, i.e. the autocephalous Bulgarian Orthodox…

Bulgaria Celebrates 73rd Anniversary since Rescue of Bulgarian Jews from Holocaust of Nazi Death Camps

Bulgaria Celebrates 73rd Anniversary since Rescue of Bulgarian Jews from Holocaust of Nazi Death Camps

Bulgaria has celebrated the 73rd anniversary since the day its civil society, some government and church figures prevented the deportation of almost 50,000 Bulgarian Jews to Nazi death camps, and thus saved them from perishing in the Holocaust.

Medieval Reliquary Discovered at Christian Monastery Looted by Treasure Hunters ahead of Archaeological Excavations

Medieval Reliquary Discovered at Christian Monastery Looted by Treasure Hunters ahead of Archaeological Excavations

A medieval reliquary and a piece of a bronze cross have been found at the ruins of a monastery from the 11th-12th century located near the town of Dobromirtsi in Bulgaria’s southernmost municipality Kirkovo.

Bulgaria’s Kirkovo to Excavate Medieval Christian Monastery in Search of Grave of Last Patriarch of Second Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria’s Kirkovo to Excavate Medieval Christian Monastery in Search of Grave of Last Patriarch of Second Bulgarian Empire

Kirkovo, Bulgaria’s southernmost municipality bordering Greece, and located some 20 km north of the Aegean coast, is going to restart the archaeological excavations of a medieval Christian monastery in search of the grave of St. Patriarch Evtimiy (Euthymius) of Tarnovo…

Bulgaria’s National Museum of History, Boyana Church Saw 280,000 Visitors in 2015

Bulgaria’s National Museum of History, Boyana Church Saw 280,000 Visitors in 2015

Bulgaria’s National Museum of History in Sofia and the several archaeological, cultural, and historical monuments that it manages saw almost 278,949 visitors in 2015, the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture has announced.

Bulgaria’s Sozopol to Restore Ancient Statue of Apollo, ‘Colossus of Apollonia Pontica’, Not Unlike Greece’s Plans to Rebuild Colossus of Rhodes

Bulgaria’s Sozopol to Restore Ancient Statue of Apollo, ‘Colossus of Apollonia Pontica’, Not Unlike Greece’s Plans to Rebuild Colossus of Rhodes

The Bulgarian Black Sea resort town of Sozopol, a successor of the Ancient Greek polis of Apollonia Pontica, is going to rebuild what once was a large ancient statue of god Apollo that was its symbol for several centuries during…

Bulgaria’s Varna to Turn Major 9th Century Monastery with Scriptorium from First Bulgarian Empire into Cultural Tourism Site

Bulgaria’s Varna to Turn Major 9th Century Monastery with Scriptorium from First Bulgarian Empire into Cultural Tourism Site

Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Varna has taken the first step to restore and promote as a cultural tourism site what apparently was one of the largest monasteries in the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018 AD) known as the Knyazheski (Royal)…

Sofia University Presented with Holy Relics of St. Kliment Ohridski, Alleged Author of Bulgarian (Cyrillic) Alphabet

Sofia University Presented with Holy Relics of St. Kliment Ohridski, Alleged Author of Bulgarian (Cyrillic) Alphabet

A piece of the holy relics of St. Kliment Ohridski (St. Clement of Ohrid) (840 – ca. 916), the disciple of St. Cyril and St. Methodius who allegedly invented the Bulgarian (Cyrillic) alphabet, has been presented to Sofia University (which…

Bulgaria’s Best Preserved Medieval Castle, Baba Vida Fortress in Danube City Vidin, Left without Maintenance Funding

Bulgaria’s Best Preserved Medieval Castle, Baba Vida Fortress in Danube City Vidin, Left without Maintenance Funding

The Baba Vida Castle in Bulgaria’s Danube city of Vidin, which is the best preserved fortress from the period of the medieval Bulgarian Empire, has been left without maintenance funding for the past six months, a local archaeologist has alarmed.

Archaeologists Discover Oldest Church of Medieval City Drastar in Bulgaria’s Silistra

Archaeologists Discover Oldest Church of Medieval City Drastar in Bulgaria’s Silistra

The ruins of what was the oldest Christian church from the period of the Middle Ages in the ancient and medieval city of Drastar (known as Durustorum in the Roman period) have been discovered during the continuing rescue excavations in…

Archaeologists Unearth 10th Century Patriarch’s Cathedral in Drastar (Durostorum) in Bulgaria’s Silistra

Archaeologists Unearth 10th Century Patriarch’s Cathedral in Drastar (Durostorum) in Bulgaria’s Silistra

The ruins of a medieval cathedral of the Bulgarian Patriarchate from the time of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018 AD) have been unearthed during the rescue excavations of the ruins of the medieval city of Drastar, known as…

Bulgarian Archaeologists Reach Water in Holy Well in Great Basilica in Early Medieval Capital Pliska

Bulgarian Archaeologists Reach Water in Holy Well in Great Basilica in Early Medieval Capital Pliska

Bulgarian archaeologists excavating the 9th century AD Great Basilica in Pliska, capital of the First Bulgarian Empire between 680 and 893 AD, have reached water inside the temple’s so called holy well, i.e. the sacred spring, also known with the…

Archaeologists Discover Grave of Bulgaria’s First Christian Martyr, Crown Prince St. Boyan Enravota

Archaeologists Discover Grave of Bulgaria’s First Christian Martyr, Crown Prince St. Boyan Enravota

The archaeologists who have recently started the excavations of the Great Basilica in Pliska, capital of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018) between 680 and 893 AD, have discovered the grave of St. Boyan Enravota, an heir to the throne who…

Archaeology in Bulgaria. and Beyond