Exactly a year ago, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church established a new holiday in the church calendar - the Glorification of the holy relics of Saint Euthymius, Patriarch of Tarnovo. According to church sources, the last Bulgarian patriarch before the fall of Tarnovgrad under the raids of the Ottoman conquerors in 1393, died around 1404. Five centuries later, at the end of 1905, during works in the narthex of the church in the Bachkovo Monastery, carried out on the initiative of abbot Paisiy, two graves were discovered. In one of the graves the remains of a bishop's mantle, a large omophorion and two epitrachelions were found, while in the other grave there were relics and a rolled lead sheet with an inscription reading that these are the relics of Saint Euthymius, Patriarch of Tarnovo.
After the discovery, the Holy Synod appointed a commission to investigate the facts and document the find. Miracles were also described, namely the pleasant fragrance that emanated from the holy relics. Despite the testimonies, the former abbot of the monastery Theodosius, doubted their credibility, describing the history of the Bachkovo Monastery and its destruction by the Ottomans during the conquest of the Rhodopes. This was followed by a rebuttal by Prof. Vasil Zlatarski, who participated in the fact-checking commission appointed by the Synod, and in 1911 Bogdan Filov, director of the National Museum in Sofia and Yordan Ivanov initiated a new commission to the Synod. The latter found historical inconsistencies and cast serious doubt on the authenticity of the lead scroll found in the grave with the relics.
In order to put an end to the disputes and above all to pay respect to the last head of the Tarnovo Patriarchate, 120 later the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church established the day of Glorification of the holy relics of Saint Euthymius, Patriarch of Tarnovo, who is regarded as patron saint of the entire Bulgarian people.
Publication in English: Al. Markov
Photos: dveri.bg, BGNES
"You must have strong faith and pray - then the saint will help you and carry your prayer to God," says Father Georgi Markov of the Church of St. Athanasius the Great in Gorni Lozen near Sofia. He adds that he has often witnessed the miracles of St..
This year, 2025, marks 1160 years since the baptism of our Bulgarian people into the Orthodox faith and 1170 years since the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet and Slavic literature. On this occasion, the Varna and Veliki Preslav Bishopric Metropolis..
Bulgaria celebrates 149 years since the April Uprising – an event that led to the liberation of Bulgaria after almost five centuries of Ottoman rule. Today, nearly a century and a half later, we must not forget that every participant in the April..
A gold coin minted during the reign of Emperor Justinian I, ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire, was discovered during excavations at the Tuida Fortress..
An album showcasing traditional folk costumes from the seven regions of the Wallachia area in Romania was presented at the Giurgiu County Museum. The..
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Clear
Partly Cloudy