site.btaBritish Ambassador in Sofia Tours Bulgarian Orthodox Church in London

At the invitation of Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe, the British Ambassador to Bulgaria Nathaniel Copsey on Friday toured the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of St John of Rila in London, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate reported on its website.

Bulgaria's Ambassador in London Tihomir Stoytchev and the parish priest, Economos Dobromir Dimitrov D.D. familiarized the guest with the history of the parish and the construction of the first Bulgarian church in the British capital.

"Nathaniel Copsey was impressed by the architectural design of the dome, the marble iconostasis and the chancel barrier, as well the decoration of the church. The Orthodox Church of St John of Rila is a wonderful example of the fine interaction between the Bulgarian State and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the care of the Orthodox expatriate Bulgarian citizens," the press release says.

The website added that Father Dobromir gifted Ambassador Copsey with an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Christ Child and a book of icons and quotations from the Fathers of the Church.

A Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Community of St John of Rila was set up in London on March 1, 1981. In the early 1990s, a garage within the compound of the Bulgarian Embassy in London was converted into a chapel for the needs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The chapel, dedicated to St John of Rila, was consecrated in 1993.

"The chapel was tiny, which is why an idea emerged to remodel it into a church," Father Dobromir told BTA in an interview. Since December 2021, he has served as a parish priest at the Bulgarian Orthodox Community in London.

The reconstruction of the chapel was financed by the Bulgarian State with a total of BGN 3,300,000, to which Bulgarians resident in the UK and Bulgarian business persons added BGN 1,500,000 raised in donations, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said.

The new Church of St John of Rila in London was consecrated on February 23, 2025 by the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil, who also celebrated the first liturgy there.