site.bta National Commemorative Assembly Marks 150th Anniversary of April Uprising's Outbreak

A national commemorative assembly dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the April Uprising took place at Prof. Marin Drinov Hall of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) on Monday. The event was held under the patronage of President Iliana Iotova.

Before the ceremony at the BAS building, Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil officiated a memorial service for the victims - priests and laypeople - at Sofia's St Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral. The service was attended by the head of State, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, BAS President Evelina Slavcheva, Bulgarian National Radio Director General Milen Mitev, representatives of political parties, the academic community, and public figures.

BAS President Evelina Slavcheva opened the national commemorative assembly. The April Uprising of 1876 marked the decisive beginning of the Bulgarian national revolution and should be firmly established in global historiography as such, she said. Slavcheva emphasized the responsibility of the Academy as the oldest institution of modern Bulgaria to safeguard national memory.

President Iliana Iotova said that the April Uprising carried the light of the National Revival into statehood, will, choice, and longed-for self-sacrifice, rather than hopeless despair. "And today, the rebellious spirit of that cause, eternally seeking freedom and justice, is alive," she added. Iotova explained that the commemorative assembly was being held specifically at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences because rebellion and awakening stem from knowledge. 

Patriarch Daniil said that the uprising gave birth to heroism, great deeds and unparalleled courage, but also martyrdom for faith. He added that the events of April 1876, the heroism and tragedy of the ancestors who rose up for their freedom, were the culmination of the Bulgarian spiritual and national revival that had begun long before, in which the Bulgarian people were led and guided by their Orthodox Church.

Sofia University Rector Georgi Valchev thanked local authorities nationwide, the school system and the teachers who have managed to engage students in the anniversary celebrations. He noted the role of the media, particularly the public service broadcasters, among them the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) which co-organized a series of conferences in the four former capitals of the districts of the April Uprising.