#Patriarchate of Bulgaria

[bulgara]

Patriarchal Monastery of the Holy Trinity Klearchos Kapoutsis // Veliko Tarnovo // Bulgaria

#BG #Bulgaria #Balkan #Bulgarian #bulgarian traditions #Veliko Tarnovo #monastery #patriarchal monastery #Monastery of the Holy Trinity Klearchos Kapoutsis #church #history #bulgara realty

[europeposts]

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sophia, Bulgaria: St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is one of the 50 largest Christian church buildings by volume in the world. Wikipedia

#Alexander Nevsky Cathedral #Sophia #Bulgaria

[whencyclopedia]

First Bulgarian Empire under Simeon I the Great (893 - 927 CE)

A map illustrating the First Bulgarian Empire at its greatest extent during the reign of Simeon I the Great (the first one to use the title tsar derived from the Latin caesar). The Bulgarian Empire was a medieval kingdom established as a union between the Bulgars and Slavs that adopted Christianity in 864. Simeon I's ambition to ascend to the imperial throne in Constantinople was the dominant driver of Bulgarian foreign policy leading to numerous wars (seemingly, the greatest success was his coronation by the Orthodox Patriarch as "Emperor and Autocrat of all Bulgarians and Romans" outside the walls of Constantinople in 913, although this arrangement did not survive long). At the same time, the disintegration of the Avar Khaganate north of the Danube allowed the country to expand its influence and territory into the Pannonian Plain, which was a mixed blessing as Bulgaria was confronted by the advance of migrating Pechenegs, Cumans, and Magyars.

#BulgarianEmpire #Bulgars #SimeonI

[dailyhistoryposts]

World Literature Series: Pod Igoto

TITLE: Pod Igoto (Under the Yoke: A Romance of Bulgarian Liberty)

AUTHOR: Ivan Vavoz

DATE: 1888

COUNTRY, REGION, OR PEOPLE: Bulgaria

TYPE: novel

BACKGROUND: Called the Patriarch of Bulgarian Literature, Ivan Vazov was born in Bulgaria when it was still part of the Ottoman Empire. As a boy and young man, he struggled to find his place, until he moved to Brăila, Romania and lived with exiled Bulgarian revolutions like Hristo Botev.

In 1874, Vazov joined the struggle for the Liberation of Bulgaria, including the April Uprising, sometimes called the Bulgarian atrocities--the brutal suppression of revolutionaries by the Ottomans led to an international outcry. This eventually led to the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state. It was brought about by Russia’s victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and the resulting Treaty of San Stefano. 

Vazov worked as the Education and People Enlightenment Minister in Post-Liberation Bulgaria and dedicated much of his time to writing. In addition to Pod Igoto, Vazov wrote other novels, several plays, an epic poem, and the first science fiction stories and fantasy poems in Bulgarian.

SYNOPSIS: The people of the town of Byala Cherkva are calm and not causing a fuss--because they are preparing for an uprising in secret. The story follows Ivan Kralich, a recently escaped prisoner returning to Byala Cherkva and getting involved in the proceedings, as he assumes the name Boycho Ognyanov.

Through Ognyanov’s eyes, we learn about the town, the oppression the people are facing, and the personal motivations of his friends and enemies. The story deals with the real-life event of the April Uprising of 1876, and the bloody aftermath of its failure.

THEMES: Power, revolution, nationhood

Compare this book to the Les Misérables (1862) by French author Victor Hugo. Also an historical novel from the second half of the 19th century, it likewise deals with an escaped prisoner and a failed rebellion, including political ideals, personal motivations, and the conception of a country’s history and statehood. Pod Igoto stays considerably more on topic than Les Misérables.

Main post for the World Literature series

#history #bookblr #litblr #bulgaria #ivan vazov #les mis #victor hugo #revolution #revolt #rebellion #tw violence

[ego-856]

Places to Visit in Bulgaria

Bulgaria, situated in Southeast Europe, is a country rich in natural beauty, historical sites, and cultural heritage. From stunning landscapes to ancient ruins, Bulgaria offers a diverse range of attractions for travelers to explore. Here are some must-visit places in Bulgaria:

Sofia: The capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia, is a vibrant metropolis blending history and modernity. Visitors can explore iconic landmarks such as the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the National History Museum, and the ancient Serdica archaeological complex.

Plovdiv: As one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, Plovdiv boasts a wealth of historical and architectural treasures. Highlights include the well-preserved Roman amphitheater, the Old Town with its colorful houses, and the Ethnographic Museum showcasing Bulgarian culture.

Veliko Tarnovo: Known as the "City of the Tsars," Veliko Tarnovo is famous for its medieval fortress, Tsarevets, perched on a hill overlooking the Yantra River. Visitors can explore the historic Old Town, visit the Patriarchal Cathedral, and enjoy panoramic views of the city.

Rila Monastery: Nestled in the scenic Rila Mountains, Rila Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Bulgaria's most significant religious landmarks. The monastery complex features exquisite frescoes, a museum, and a peaceful atmosphere ideal for reflection.

Nesebar: Located on the Black Sea coast, Nesebar is an ancient town known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and UNESCO-listed Old Town. Visitors can wander through narrow cobblestone streets, admire Byzantine churches, and relax on sandy beaches.

Buzludzha Monument: This imposing Soviet-era monument, perched atop the Buzludzha Peak in the Balkan Mountains, is a testament to Bulgaria's communist past. While the interior is now abandoned and in disrepair, the monument remains a striking symbol of Bulgaria's history.

Rila Mountains: Outdoor enthusiasts will delight in exploring the rugged beauty of the Rila Mountains. The area offers excellent hiking opportunities, with trails leading to pristine lakes, waterfalls, and panoramic viewpoints.

These are just a few of the many incredible destinations Bulgaria has to offer. Whether you're interested in history, nature, or culture, Bulgaria has something to captivate every traveler.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (October 11)

Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli on 25 November 1881 at Sotto il Monte, Italy, Pope John XXIII was elected Pope on 28 October 1958.

He died on 3 June 1963 in Rome.

Angelo was the fourth child of 14, born to pious parents. His religious education was entrusted to his godfather, who instilled in him a deep love and admiration of the mystery of God.

He entered the minor seminary in 1892 at the age of 11, became a Secular Franciscan in 1896, and entered the Pontifical Roman Seminary in 1901.

On being ordained in 1904, he was appointed secretary to the bishop of Bergamo and taught in the seminary.

His great friends among the saints during this formative period were St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis de Sales, two outstanding intellectuals and also formidable pastors.

He served as a military chaplain during the First World War, served as spiritual director of a seminary, and served as the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in 1921.

In 1925, Pius XI made him a bishop and sent him to Bulgaria as the Apostolic Visitator.

For his Episcopal motto, he chose Oboedientia et Pax.

In 1935, he was assigned to Turkey and Greece where he ministered to the Catholic population and engaged in dialogue with Orthodox Christianity and with Islam.

During the Second World War, he used his diplomatic means to save as many Jews as he could by obtaining safe passage for them.

He was created cardinal and Patriarch of Venice in 1953. He was a much loved pastor, dedicating himself completely to the well being of his flock.

Elected Pope on the death of Pope Pius XII, he was an example of a ‘pastoral’ Pope, a good shepherd who cared deeply for his sheep.

He manifested this concern in his social enyclicals, especially Pacem in Terris, “On peace in the World.”

His greatest act as Pope, however, was undoubtedly the inspiration to convoke the Second Vatican Council, which he opened on 11 October 1962.

Pope John’s spirit of humble simplicity, profound goodness, and deep life of prayer radiated in all that he did. He inspired people to affectionately call him “Good Pope John.”

He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 3 September 2000.

He was canonized by Pope Francis on 27 April 2014, alongside the man who beatified him, Pope St. John Paul II.

#Saint of the Day #Pope John XXIII #Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli #Second Vatican Council #Good Pope John

[thesynaxarium]

Today we also celebrate the Holy Hierarch Sava, Enlightener of Serbia. Saint Sava, the first Archbishop and teacher of the Serbs, and the most beloved of all the Saints of Serbia, was born in 1169, and was named Rastko by his parents. He was the son of Stephen Nemanja, the ruler of Serbia, who is better known as Saint Symeon the Myrrh-streamer. As a young man, Rastko fled secretly to the Holy Mountain, Athos, to the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon. When his father learned of his flight, he sent soldiers after him. Before they could seize him, he was tonsured a monk with the name of Sabbas, after Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (celebrated Dec. 5). Soon after, he entered the Monastery of Vatopedi, where his father joined him in 1197. Together they rebuilt the Monastery of Hilandar and made it a great spiritual center for their countrymen. In 1200 Saint Symeon reposed, and his body became a source of holy myrrh; in 1204 Saint Sabbas was compelled to return to Serbia with his father's relics, that he might restore peace between his two brothers, who were struggling over the rule of the kingdom. The grace of Saint Symeon's relics, and the mediations of Saint Sabbas, healed the division between his brethren. After persuading the Emperor in Constantinople and the Ecumenical Patriarch to grant autocephaly to the Serbian Church, the Saint against his will was ordained first Archbishop of his native land in 1219, where he labored diligently to establish the Orthodox Faith. In 1221 he crowned his brother Stephen first King of Serbia (the memory of Saint Stephen, First Crowned King of Serbia, is kept on September 24). In 1234, foreseeing by divine grace his coming departure to the Lord, he resigned the archiepiscopal throne, named his disciple Arsenius as his successor, and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mount Sinai; while returning through Bulgaria, he fell asleep in peace in 1236. Because he has been ever since the national hero of Serbia and an invincible bulwark strengthening the Orthodox Faith, the Moslem Turks burned his incorrupt relics in the year 1594. May he intercede for us always + Source: https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=1933 (at Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnXzfh9hMeV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[noblehcart]

Do not read unless; you're a mega nerd interested in Bulgaria in the 14th century or @malka-lisitsa

Bulgaria under Ottoman rule (1396–1878)

The fall of the last tsardom; the Tsardom of Vidin marked the end of what’s historically known as the Second Bulgarian Empire. By this, the Ottomans had subjugated and occupied Bulgaria. Even though a Polish-Hungarian army commanded by Władysław III of Poland set out to free Bulgaria and the Balkans in 1444, they were defeated in the battle of Varna from the Ottomans.

The new authorities dismantled Bulgarian institutions and merged the separate Bulgarian Church into the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople (although a small, autocephalous Bulgarian archbishopric of Ohrid survived until January 1767). Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses to prevent rebellions. Large towns and the areas where Ottoman power predominated remained severely depopulated until the 19th century.

Even though conversion to Islam was not forced on the Bulgarian people, several cases of forced Islamization were recorded such as the Pomaks who got to keep their Bulgarian language, dress and some customs that were compatible with Islam.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries Bulgaria became a thriving cultural centre. The flowering of the Turnovo school of art was related to the construction of palaces and churches, to literary activity in the royal court and the monasteries, and to the development of handicrafts.

In the fourteenth century many new monasteries were built under the patronage of Ivan Alexander on the northern slopes of Stara Planina, especially in a area near the capital Tarnovo which became known as "Sveta Gora" (Holy Forest)—a name also used to refer to Mount Athos. The numerous monasteries across the Empire were the very centre of the cultural, educational and spiritual life of the Bulgarian society. After the mid fourteenth centuries, many monasteries began to build fortifications under the thread of Turk invasions, such as the famous Tower of Rely in the Rila monastery.

In the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks were a rising power in the region. In 1393 they captured Turnovo. All Bulgarian resistance to the Turks ended in 1396. Bulgaria was under Turkish rule for nearly 500 years.

The Bulgarians had to pay taxes to the Turks. They also had to surrender their sons. At intervals, the Turks would take the cream of Bulgarian boys aged 7 to 14. They were taken from their families and brought up as Muslims. They were also trained to be soldiers called Janissaries.

The Bulgarian People Under the Rule of the Ottoman Empire (15th-18th C.)

The fall of the medieval Bulgarian states under the Ottoman rule interrupted the Bulgarian people’s natural development within the framework of the European civilization. To the Bulgarians that was not just a temporary loss of their state independence as it was in the case of other European peoples which had had this bitter experience at different stages of their history.

In the course of centuries the Bulgarians were forced to live under a state and political system that was substantially different from and distinctly alien to the European civilization which had evolved on the basis of Christianity and the Christian economic, social and cultural patterns.

The intrusive nature of Islamism and its intolerance to anything that was not part of it, resulted in the continued confrontation between the Ottoman empire and Christian Europe in the l5th-l8th centuries. That fact drew an iron curtain between the Bulgarian people on the one side, and Europe and the free Slav countries on the other.

In other words, Bulgaria was separated from the progressive trends of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment as well as from the nascent modern bourgeois world.

The Bulgarians were pushed into a direction of development which had nothing in common with their seven-century history until then, history deeply connected with the natural course of the European political, economic and cultural development.

The Turkish conquerors ruthlessly destroyed all Bulgarian state and religious structures. The natural political leaders of the people in the Middle Ages, i.e. the boyars and the higher clergy, vanished from sight. That deprived the Bulgarians of both the possibility for self-organization and any chance of having foreign political allies for centuries on end.

The place allotted to the Bulgarian people in the Ottoman feudal political system entitled it to no legal, religious, national, even biological rights as Bulgarian Christians. They had all been reduced to the category of the so called rayah (meaning ‘a flock’, attributed to the non-Muslim subjects of the empire).

The peasants who represented the better half of the Bulgarian population were dispossessed of their land.

According to the Ottoman feudal system which remained effective until 1834, all of it belonged to the central power in the person of the Turkish sultan.

The Bulgarians were allowed to cultivate only some plots. Groups of rural Christian families, varying in number, were put under an obligation to give part of their income to representatives of the Muslim military, administrative and religious upper crust, as well as to fulfil various state duties.

The number of the families liable to that payment was determined according to their position in the Ottoman state, military and religious hierarchy. The establishment of that kind of intercourse in agriculture – the fundamental pillar of the economy at that time, clearly led to the total loss of motivation for any real farming or and production improvements both among the peasants and the feof-holders.

The complex and incredibly burdensome tax system forced the farmers to produce as much as needed for their families’ subsistence, while the feudals preferred to earn a lot more from looting and from the incessantly successful wars waged by the Ottoman empire in all directions until the end of the 17th century.

The Ottoman Turkish state was founded on and propped up by the dogmas of the Koran. At the beginning of the 15th century when the empire prostrated from India to Gibraltar and from the mouth of the Volga to Vienna, it proclaimed itself the supreme leader of Islam – Prophet Mohammed’s standard and sword, and a leader of the Koran-prescribed perpetual jihad (holy war) against the world of Christianity.

It went without saying that under this conception the Bulgarian Christians could not hope for any. access to even the lowest levels of statecraft. The enormous imperial bureaucratic machinery recruited its staff only from among Muslims.

The Bulgarian people was subjected to national and religious discrimination unheard of in the annals of all European history. During court proceedings, for example, a single Muslim’s testimony was more than enough to confute the evidence of dozens of Christian witnesses. The Bulgarians were not entitled to building churches, setting up their offices or even to wearing bright colors.

Of the numerous taxes (about 80 in number) the so called ‘fresh blood tax’ (a levy of Christian youths) was particularly heavy and humiliating. At regular intervals, the authorities had the healthiest male- children taken away from their parents, sent to the capital, converted into Islam and then trained in combat skills.

Raised and trained in the spirit of Islamic fanaticism, the young men were conscripted in the so called janissary corps, the imperial army of utmost belligerence known to have caused so much trouble and suffering to both the Bulgarians and Christian Europe.

The Turkish authorities exerted unabating pressure on parts of the Bulgarian people to make them convert their faith and become Muslims. That policy was meant to limit the Bulgarian ethnos parameters and to increase the Turkish population numbers. For, according to the medieval standards in that part of Europe, the affiliation of a given people was determined by the religion it followed. With a view to facilitating the assimilation process, the Turkish authorities took the Christian names of those who had converted into Islam and gave them Arab names instead.

A variety of ways and means was used in the assimilation of the Bulgarian people. Some of these were the aforementioned ‘blood tax, and the regular kidnaping of children, pretty women, girls and young men to Turkish families.

Quite frequently, whole areas were encircled by troops and their inhabitants forced to adopt Islam and new Arab names, while the objectors were ‘edifyingly’ slain. In those cases, however, the ‘new Muslims’ were allowed to go on living in the compact Bulgarian environment, i.e. as a community which retained both its language and its Bulgarian national consciousness.

The present-day Bulgarian Muslims representing about five percent of modern Bulgaria’s population, are descendants of those Mohammedanized Bulgarians, whom the Bulgarian Christians used to call pomaks (from the Bulgarian root-words macha or maka, meaning harassed or caused to suffer). And yet the thousands of Bulgarians whom Bulgaria lost once and for all were those who had been subjected to individual conversion to Islam. For, it is only natural that having fallen into a community of strangers, speaking a different language and practicing different customs and faith, they had easily and quickly been assimilated.

The genocide carried out by the Ottoman Turks during hostilities in the Bulgarian lands, at the time of uprising or riot suppression, during the frequent spells of feudal anarchy, or even of Ottoman troops move-ups from garrison stations to the battle-field, had struck heavy blows on the Bulgarian nation. The Bulgarian Christian population was treated as infidel and hostile and it was outlawed even at the time of peace. Individual and mass emigration of Bulgarians to foreign lands was another cause for no lesser losses to the Bulgarian nation. There were times when whole regions became depopulated. 

During the l5th-l7th centuries the Bulgarian nation had suffered a gradual but grave biological collapse which predetermined, to a large extent, its demographic, economic, political and cultural place in the European civilization. According to some Bulgarian historians’ estimations, the beginning of the Turkish oppression in the 15th century found Bulgaria with a population of about 1.3 million. Those were the then demographic parameters of any of the large European nations, for example, the population in the present-day territories of England, France or Germany.

One hundred years later, the Bulgarians were already down to 260 000 people and remained as many in the course of two more centuries. The demographic growth was suppressed through genocide, Mohammedanization and emigration. The biological collapse of the l5th-l7th centuries had repercussions which are still being keenly felt. The Bulgarian nation, nowadays, amounts to some ten million people while its European equals in number, back in the 15th century, are now sixty to eighty million-strong.

The unbearable conditions during the Ottoman yoke could not deaden the Bulgarians’ anxiety for resistance. Deprived of social and political organizations of their own, they were unable to undertake any sizeable liberation initiatives. Thus, during the first centuries of the oppression, armed resistance was only of local and sporadic nature. The so-called haidouk movement was its most frequent manifestation. The haidouks were brave Bulgarians who took refuge in the high-mountain woods, organizing there small armed detachments and bringing them down for merciless struggle against the provincial administrators.

This guerrila-type struggle continued for centuries on end (one group destroyed was instantaneously replaced by another) and succeeded in sustaining the morale of the Bulgarians by preserving, to some extent, their properties and their honor. In some places, it even had the authorities maintain more humane relationships with the Bulgarian Christians. The haidouk movement indirectly encouraged and safeguarded other forms of resistance such as maintaining the style of life, the language, the traditions and the religion, or incompliance with forced obligations and refusal to pay heavy unjustifed tax.

Liberation uprisings were the supreme form of struggle against the oppressors. The first one broke out still in 1408. Significant uprisings, proclaiming the independence of Bulgaria, took place in 1598, 1686, 1688 and 1689. They were connected with the anti- Ottoman wars waged by the West European Catholic states with which some Bulgarian representatives, mainly merchants and both Orthodox and Catholic clergymen, had established joint venture contacts.

All insurrections were quelled and accompanied with inhuman atrocities.

The Bulgarian people were living through one of the most difficult periods in its centuries long existence.

It had been deprived of its state, its church, its intelligently and its legitimate rights. Furthermore, its survival as an ethnos had also been put at stake. Linder the heel of that powerful, ruthless and uncivilized Asiatic despotism, it lasted out but remained without any substantial material and spiritual resources needed for its further development. Thus, the Bulgarians, along with all the other European peoples which had been engulfed by the Ottoman empire, were to lag some centuries behind the attainments of present-day Europe.

The Ottoman Empire was founded in the early fourteenth century by Osman I, a prince of Asia Minor who began pushing the eastern border of the Byzantine Empire westward toward Constantinople. Present-day European Turkey and the Balkans, among the first territories conquered, were used as bases for expansion far to the West during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

The capture of Constantinople in 1453 completed Ottoman subjugation of major Bulgarian political and cultural institutions.

Nevertheless, certain Bulgarian groups prospered in the highly ordered Ottoman system, and Bulgarian national traditions continued in rural areas. When the decline of the Ottoman Empire began about 1600, the order of local institutions gave way to arbitrary repression, which eventually generated armed opposition. Western ideas that penetrated Bulgaria during the 1700s stimulated a renewed concept of Bulgarian nationalism that eventually combined with decay in the empire to loosen Ottoman control in the nineteenth century.

Introduction of the Ottoman System

Ottoman forces captured the commercial center of Sofia in 1385. Serbia, then the strongest Christian power in the Balkans, was decisively defeated by the Ottomans at the Battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389, leaving Bulgaria divided and exposed. Within ten years, the last independent Bulgarian outpost was captured. Bulgarian resistance continued until 1453, when the capture of Constantinople gave the Ottomans a base from which to crush local uprisings. In consolidating its Balkan territories, the new Ottoman political order eliminated the entire Bulgarian state apparatus. The Ottomans also crushed the nobility as a landholding class and potential center of resistance.

The new rulers reorganized the Bulgarian church, which had existed as a separate patriarchate since 1235, making it a diocese under complete control of the Byzantine Patriarchate at Constantinople. The sultan, in turn, totally controlled the patriarchate.

The Ottomans ruled with a centralized system much different from the scattered local power centers of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The single goal of Ottoman policy in Bulgarian territory was to make all local resources available to extend the empire westward toward Vienna and across northern Africa. Landed estates were given in fiefdom to knights bound to serve the sultan. Peasants paid multiple taxes to both their masters and the government.

Territorial control also meant cultural and religious assimilation of the populace into the empire. Ottoman authorities forcibly converted the most promising Christian youths to Islam and trained them for government service. Called pomaks, such converts often received special privileges and rose to high administrative and military positions.

The Ottoman system also recognized the value of Bulgarian artisans, who were organized and given limited autonomy as a separate class. Some prosperous Bulgarian peasants and merchants became intermediaries between local Turkish authorities and the peasants.

In this capacity, these chorbadzhi (squires) were able to moderate Ottoman policy. On the negative side, the Ottoman assimilation policy also included resettlement of Balkan Slavs in Asia Minor and immigration of Turkish peasants to farm Bulgarian land. Slavs also were the victims of mass enslavement and forcible mass conversion to Islam in certain areas.

Traditional Bulgarian culture survived only in the smaller villages during the centuries of Ottoman rule. Because the administrative apparatus of the Ottoman Empire included officials of many nationalities, commerce in the polyglot empire introduced Jews, Armenians, Dalmatians, and Greeks into the chief population centers. Bulgarians in such centers were forcibly resettled as part of a policy to scatter the potentially troublesome educated classes.

The villages, however, were often ignored by the centralized Ottoman authorities, whose control over the Turkish landholders often exerted a modifying influence that worked to the advantage of the indigenous population. Village church life also felt relatively little impact from the centralized authority of the Greek Orthodox Church. Therefore, between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, the villages became isolated repositories of Bulgarian folk culture, religion, social institutions, and language.

#// ooc #malkalisitsa #yeah i TRIED to trim it down but its still a lot #i did cut out a lot of repeating things but there's still some but i didn't wanna move too many sections around and lose the context #so i bolded/italics stuff if you just wanna hit the highlights #and come back another time to read the deets #the 14th century was NOT a good time to be in bulgaria

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Today in Christian History

Today is Friday, January 6th, the 6th day of 2023. There are 359 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

786: Martyrdom of St. Abo in Tsibili, Georgia. A Muslim perfumer from Baghdad, he had become a Christian and attempted to strengthen Christians and win Muslims to Christ.

1088: Theophylact delivers a flattering address in Constantinople before Emperor Alexius that results in an unwelcome “promotion” to the position of archbishop of Ohrid, Bulgaria (now in Macedonia). Homesick, he will write obscure letters to distract his mind.

1374: Death of Andreas Corsini, Italian bishop of Fiesole. After a reckless youth, he converted and became a strict Carmelite, and was credited with being a prophet and miracle-worker. (Under the Florentine calendar his death is given in 1373.)

1422: Jan Ziska, blind Hussite general and master tactician, defeats Sigsimund of Bohemia at Nebovidy, one of many defeats he will inflict on Bohemia’s enemies.

1494: Columbus and his men celebrate the first mass in the Americas, on Isabelle Island, Haiti.

1628: Bribed by Roman Catholics, Turks in Constantinople seize a press that is preparing to print a small catechism written by Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Cyril Lukaris. Jesuits had already maneuvered to exile Lukaris for several months.

1771: First baptism takes place among the Moravian converts of the Saramaccas people, near where the Senthea River empties into the Surinam River. Chief Arabina, the mission’s first convert is baptized.

1772: Death of Samuel Johnson, a New England clergyman, educator, and philosopher. In 1724 he had opened the first Anglican church built in Connecticut, after which he had served as a missionary for the Anglican Church, and played an important role in setting the standards and curriculum for King’s College, New York, (later known as Columbia University).

1829: The Indiana State Legislature incorporates Hanover Academy, begun two years ealier with six students by Presbyterian minister John Finley Crowe. The school sits on land donated by Presbyterian Elder, Williamson Dunn, who becomes one of the trustees.

1835: Businessmen operating in China circulate a paper among themselves, calling for a “Morrison Education Society” to bring the gospel to China. The society is named for pioneer missionary Robert Morrison who had died a year earlier. They raise several thousand pounds to support the mission and offer the post of missionary to Samuel Robbins Brown.

The Swedish Mission Society is founded.

1844: Hermann Anandarao Kaundinya is baptized in Mangalore, India, with two other young Brahmans. He becomes a notable educator, pastor, and Bible translator in the Kanarese district.

1850: Conversion of Charles Spurgeon who will become one of the most notable pastors of all time. He had entered a little Methodist church because of cold and snow where a deacon told him to look to Christ. “I can never tell you how it was but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe and I did believe in one moment.”

1852: Death in Paris, France, of Louis Braille, developer of the reading system of raised dots for the blind which bears his name. He is just forty-three years old.

1884: Death in Brno (in modern Czechoslovakia) of Gregor Mendel, a monk who through persistent experimentation had discovered the laws of genetics.

1894: Death of Theophan the Recluse, a Russian Orthodox author, priest, and bishop. He had written several works, among them a translation of the Philokalia, a famous collection of the church fathers. Typical of his sayings was, “Attention to that which transpires in the heart and proceeds from it—this is the chief activity of the proper Christian life.”

1902: Edith Warner, a Presbyterian missionary, sets out from Asaba, Nigeria, to become the first white woman to visit the East Niger.

1921: Death of Alexander Whyte, regarded as the finest preacher of the Free Church of Scotland. He had also served as professor of New Testament Literature at New College, Edinburgh, and wrote the popular Bible Characters.

1934: Peter Deyneka and four other men meet to form the Russian Gospel Association.

1948: Janani Luwum converts to Christianity in Uganda. He immediately asks his family to pray that he won’t backslide, but rather lead a godly life. Eventually he will become an archbishop and will be executed by the brutal dictator Idi Amin.

1973: Death in California of Pentecostal evangelist Tommy Hicks, allegedly of alcoholism. Nineteen years earlier he had packed stadiums in Argentina, winning thousands to follow Christ.

1986: Death in Grand Rapids, Michigan, of Elsie Rebekah Ahlwen. She had served as an evangelist among America’s Swedes and wrote the hymn “He the Pearly Gates Will Open.”

1992: Naimat Ahmer, a Christian educator and poet in Pakistan, is stabbed seventeen times in earshot of students by a Muslim who claims Ahmer has insulted Mohammad. Ahmer taught that Christ is the only way to salvation.

#Today in Christian History #January 6th #Death of Alexander Whyte #death of Elsie Rebekah Ahlwen #death of Louis Braille #conversion of Charles Spurgeon #Swedish Mission Society is founded #First baptism takes place among the Moravian converts of the Saramaccas people #Columbus and his men celebrate the first mass in the Americas

[richo1915]

The new era opened with the second restoration of Orthodoxy after the somewhat ineffectual efforts of Leo V and Theophilos to reintroduce iconoclasm.

It continued with an increasingly successful offensive against the Arabs in the east. Relations with the west, Or at least with the papacy, were embittered by the schism between the Churches of Rome and Constantinople, resulting from the deposition of the Patriarch Ignatios and the appointment in his place of the Patriarch Photios in 858.

The dispute that followed was, like that between the temporal rulers of east and west, symptomatic of a much deeper divergence of ideologies. It was aggravated rather than soothed by the work of Christian missionaries among the Slavs who had settled in the lands that lay between the two worlds of east and west, in Moravia, Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria.

The christianisation of the Slavs became a race between Frankish missionaries from Rome and the west and Byzantine missionaries from Constantinople and the east. Mutual accusations were made of spreading false doctrine in theology and practice among the innocent heathen.

This was the first demonstration of the new and vigorous offensive policy of Basil I. Agents political and spiritual followed the flag into Dalmatia; and it was constituted as a new theme or military zone of the empire, covering the maritime towns and the islands.

Basil wisely conceded that the towns should go on paying tribute primarily to the leaders of the various Slav tribes in their hinterland and only nominally to Byzantium.

His spiritual agents, however, pacified the Slavs with the Christian message and made them less hostile to the Christian Roman Empire. The Serbs and the Slavs of the south were rapidly converted to Orthodox Christianity. The Croats in the north, however, were finally to be won over to the Roman form of the faith by missionaries sent to them by the papacy and the Franks.

#book #byzantium and venice #bloody christians #the balkans #still trouble today because of christianity

[bulgara]

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral // Sofia // Bulgaria

#Alexander Nevsky Cathedral #Sofia #bg #bulgaria #balkan #travel #trip #black sea coast #bulgara realty #nevsky #city #cityscape #center #panorama #panoramic #air view

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sunday, February 12, 2023

february 12_january 30

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

The third parabole of the pre-lenten period illustrating three  different sides of the act and effects of repentance, Following, the tax-collector humbling himself to get a glimpse of Jesus from a sycamore tree,   Publican and the Pharisee which shows the difference between fake and true repentance; here is the prodigal son which seal the message. All repentants are God’s prodigal sons, away from the promise land which is the heavenly Kingdom  

“Two Sundays before the beginning of Great Lent, the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32) is read. That is the reason that particular Sunday came to be known as the “Sunday of the Prodigal Son.” In order to give Christians a vivid reminder of their withdrawal from their Heavenly Homeland and of their bondage to sin, following the Polyeleios Psalms at the Vigil, the Church chants Psalm 136 (KJV Ps. 137), “By the Waters of Babylon.” It is chanted on each of three Sundays preceding Great Lent.

Babylon was the capital of the empire of the same name, and was the place to which in 597 BC several thousand Israelites were taken from Judea and its contiguous province. Babylon went to war against Judea, and for several centuries, the Judean Kingdom ceased to exist. Seventy years after its defeat, when Judea was being restored, it was under Persian rule; later it came to be ruled by the Greeks and by Rome. Never again was there an independent Kingdom of Judea. It was only in 1948 that the independent State of Israel was created...” to be continued at Orthodox Christianity

 SYNAXIS OF THE HOLY OECUMENICAL TEACHERS OF THE CHURCH AND HIERARCH: BASIL THE GREAT, GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN AND JOHN CHRYSOSTOMOS

Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom: During the eleventh century, disputes raged in Constantinople about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest. Some preferred Saint Basil (January 1), others honored Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25), while a third group exalted Saint John Chrysostom (November 13).

Dissension among Christians increased. Some called themselves Basilians, others referred to themselves as Gregorians, and others as Johnites.

By the will of God, the three hierarchs appeared to Saint John the Bishop of Euchaita (June 14) in the year 1084, and said that they were equal before God. “There are no divisions among us, and no opposition to one another.”

They ordered that the disputes should stop, and that their common commemoration should be celebrated on a single day. Bishop John chose January 30 for their joint Feast, thus ending the controversy and restoring peace.

ST PETER, TSAR OF BULGARIA (969)

Saint Peter, King of Bulgaria, was the son of the militant Bulgarian prince Simeon. Saint Peter was distinguished for his Christian piety, and he often turned to Saint John of Rila (August 18, October 19), asking his prayers, spiritual guidance and advice.

King Peter concluded peace with Byzantium on terms advantageous for Bulgaria. He also gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople for the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church, and the affirmation of a Patriarchal throne in Bulgaria, benefiting all the Bulgarian Church.

Saint Peter aided in the successful extirpation of the Bogomil heresy in his lands. He died in the year 967, at fifty-six years of age.

MARK 16:1-8

1Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away-for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples-and Peter-that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:12-20

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #eastern orthodox church #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #bible #gospel #wisdom

[venicepearl]

Tsarevets (Bulgarian: Царевец, romanized: Tsarevets) is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. Tsarevets is 206 metres (676 ft) above sea level. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary fortress and strongest bulwark between 1185 and 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces, and it is also a popular tourist attraction.

#Tsarevets #Veliko Tarnovo #Bulgaria #XII century #castle #stronghold #photo #photography #landscape

[beardedmrbean]

The holy relics of the Thessaloniki brothers Methodius and Cyril were solemnly welcomed in the Cathedral of St. Nedelya, in Sofia. In honor of the memorable moment, His Eminence Bishop Polycarp of Belogradchik, Vicar of the Patriarch, served a mass at the shrines in the presence of President Rumen Radev, Vice President Iliana Iotova, Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, senior clerics and guests.

Bishop Polycarp read a greeting from His Holiness the Metropolitan of Sofia and Bulgarian Patriarch Neofit to the dignitaries for this memorable historical event, related to the national pilgrimage to the Holy relics of the two Apostolic Brothers. The remains will be exposed in the temple until noon on May 25.

Relics of Saints Cyril and Methodius are already in Bulgaria

A new monument to Sts. Cyril and Methodius near the town of Sozopol

Relics of Saints Cyril and Methodius to be welcomed in Sofia on May 23

The Holy Relics are leaving Greece for the first time since their return to Mount Athos. The first Orthodox and Slavic country to receive them is Bulgaria, which is an important act of recognition of this country as the homeland of the Slavic alphabet and culture.

In the words of President Rumen Radev, the arrival of the holy remains on the eve of the most sacred Bulgarian holiday - May 24, underlines the importance of Bulgaria to the work of the brothers Cyril and Methodius and the country's inseparable link with their holy mission. 

Prominent Bulgarians receive presidential awards for their contribution to culture and science

On the eve of May 24, President Rumen Radev presented state awards to six renowned Bulgarian scientists. These are academicians Ivan Popchev and Nikola Sabotinov, as well as professors Petko Salchev, Miliana Kaimakamova, Stoyan Karaivanov and..

Sunshine, high temperatures, short showers expected on Tuesday

#nunyas news

[otto-bot]

probably rlly weird ask but this is Weird Asks Site so like. here goes.

on a different post (one w/ tiktok witches saying that the supreme court had psychic protections and whatnot) you commented saying there were some very interesting pre-christian religions

this is an explicit invitation to tell me *everything* because i'm very interested

I'll talk a bit more later since I'm a bit tired currently, but I will ramble about one of my favorite ancient pagan societies and it's religions for now :D The Thracians were a group of people who inhabited a region comprising modern day southern Bulgaria, European Turkey, and the area of Greece that borders the other two nations. Their position between the Scythians of the steppe, Anatolia and Greece led to a fascinating mix of their cultures with their own unique one, creating a fascinating mix of 'barbarian' and Greek, and this was reflected in their religion as well. You may have heard of Zagreus from the popular videogame Hades. But despite his later adaptation into the Greek god Dionysus, he was originally from Anatolia, but crossed the Hellespont into Thrace, and later carried over to Greece. One of the uniquely Thracian gods was Bendis, Ruler of the gods, holding a position vaguely akin to Odin or Zeus. As opposed to almost every other religion at the time which was patriarchal, the Thracian Pantheon's 'head' god was female. Bendis was the Goddess of Heaven and the mortal realm, with her common Iconography being a mountain, and a horned eagle holding a fish in it's beak and hare in it's talons, the eagle representing the Heavens, the hare the earth, and the fish the sea. According to Thracian mythos, the ancient hero Zis 'united' with Bendis to become king. As a result, Thracian kings were the personification of the union, an as a result, the prosperity and health of the land. This unique blend of divine matron and earthly king was even represented in the names of many of the Thracian kings. Their names frequently contained the terms "Ama" "Me" and "Mae" which translate into 'mother'. Another instance of Greek and Thracian religion mixing is the Legend of Orpheus. You might have heard the Greek legend of Orpheus and his journey to the underworld, but he first appeared in Thrace as a mythological Priest-King, who later achieved a sort of demigod status, uniting with Bendis and becoming a deity of the afterlife, and of vegetation, as legend states it was him who taught the Thracians to farm.

[cavenewstimes]

Bulgarians line the streets of the capital to bid farewell to Orthodox Patriarch Neophyte

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians lined the streets of Sofia on Saturday to bid farewell to the late Orthodox Patriarch Neophyte. The spiritual leader of Bulgaria’s Orthodox Christians died on Wednesday at the age of 78 after a long illness. Neophyte, who became patriarch in 2013, was the first elected head of the Bulgarian church after the fall of communism in 1989. His charisma as a modest and…

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