site.btaProf. Pavlov Talks about the Ruler, the Church and the Alphabet

At an academic session commemorating 1,160 years since Bulgaria's Christianization and 1,170 years since the creation of the Glagolitic alphabet, Prof. Pavel Pavlov from the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia delivered a lecture on the deep interconnection between the ruler, the Church, and the alphabet in medieval Bulgaria.

Prof. Pavlov emphasized that these anniversaries are fittingly celebrated on the feast day of St Prince Boris, the ruler whose legacy embodies the founding pillars of Bulgaria's historical endurance: statehood, the Church, and literature and education.

He described Prince Boris not just as a political leader, but as a saintly figure who personifies this triade, having initiated Christian statehood, supported the drive for an independent Bulgarian Church, and created the conditions for the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius' disciples, which led to the development of the Bulgarian alphabet and literary tradition.

Prof. Pavlov stressed that Bulgaria's name is one of the few enduring names on the map since the 9th century, which speaks to the strength of this foundational structure.

He underlined the idea that the Church must remain a place of salvation, of encounter between man and God, not merely a historical institution - otherwise, "it can no longer inspire us or form deified, Christ-like persons who lay down their souls for their friends".

He concluded that without an autonomous Church, the Bulgarian literary tradition and the preservation of the alphabet would not have been possible.