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The first Bulgarian Patriarch to be canonized

Photo: ilovebulgaria.eu

The Metropolitanate of Dorostol has proposed to the Holy Synod (highest authority in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church) that the first Bulgarian Patriarch Damian be canonized as a saint, Metropolitan Yakov said.

In 927, after the death of Tsar Simeon, his successor Tsar Peter made peace with the Byzantine Empire. The Bulgarian archdiocese was then proclaimed a patriarchate, and Damian was enthroned as the first Bulgarian patriarch, with his seat in Dorostol, or today's town of Silistra. It is believed that the grave discovered years ago in one of the basilicas of Silistra is that of Patriarch Damian.

Today, the remains of the cathedral church and the patriarchal palace are open to the public, but the tomb itself is closed in order to be conserved.



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