BTA :: Younger Generation's Mission Is to Solidify Cyrillic Script as Bulgarian Alphabet

Younger Generation's Mission Is to Solidify Cyrillic Script as Bulgarian Alphabet - BAS President

Yoana Vodenicharova

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences President Evelina Slavcheva addresses the Third International Cyrillic Forum in Sofia, March 25, 2026 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kasabov)

Sofia,

25.03.2026 12:09

(BTA)

The mission of the younger generation of researchers and patriots is to solidify the Cyrillic script as the Bulgarian alphabet, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences President Evelina Slavcheva said at the opening of the Third International Cyrillic Forum, titled "Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age".

The forum opened at the National Palace of Culture on Wednesday. It is organized by President Iliana Iotova and features plenary presentations and discussions dedicated to the Cyrillic script and its place in the digital era.

Slavcheva said that the forum had become "an important element of the academic calendar". "I very much hope that young people will never forget that it was medieval Bulgaria that enabled the literacy and Christianization of all of Southeastern Europe," she said.

She noted that the spread of the Glagolitic alphabet, and later Cyrillic, through liturgical books created a powerful tool for disseminating knowledge among vast numbers of Europeans. Slavcheva emphasized that behind all this stands the Old Bulgarian language, which in recent times has not entirely correctly been referred to as Church Slavonic.

This year's forum has brought together scholars from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Bulgarian universities, alongside prominent speakers from Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Kazakhstan and China. Presentations cover topics such as the alphabet wars in the Slavic world, the language of the media, and the digitization of early printed editions in the 21st century. The Third International Cyrillic Forum expands the geographical scope of discussions with research on the Cyrillic in China and the contemporary Cyrillic script among Turkic-speaking peoples.

As in previous years, the forum is accompanied by exhibitions, including an original digital visual project on spiritual heritage in the "Homeland of the Cyrillic Alphabet", as well as a photo collection highlighting the prestigious international stage of the National Palace of Culture, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year.

/NZ/