site.btaShumen University Hosts Academic Session Honouring Anniversaries of Christianization of Bulgarian People, Creation of Bulgarian Alphabet

An academic session marking 1,160 years since the Christianization of Bulgaria and 1,170 years since the creation of the Glagolitic alphabet was held at the Konstantin Preslavsky Shumen University on Saturday.

Vice President Iliana Iotova said it was her mission to achieve reinstating Bulgarian Studies to its rightful place in global academia. Iotova highlighted the Christianization of Bulgaria in 865 under Prince Boris as a pivotal state act, equating its significance to the founding of the state in 681. This move allowed Bulgaria to influence the geopolitical dynamics of Europe and preserved the nation's ethnic identity in the face of internal and external threats. Iotova emphasized that language and faith became inseparable forces, with the Bulgarian alphabet and literature playing a crucial role in the survival, unity and identity of the Bulgarian people. The Bulgarian language played a role in the Slavic world comparable to that of Latin in Western Europe. She honoured the historic role of Pliska and Veliki Preslav near Shumen as the birthplace of a nation and a state that justifiably claims the title of Europe's spiritual empire.

Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil addressed the participants in the academic session, saying: "Our duty is to preserve the achievement of the saintly Prince Boris-Michael, the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and their successors in time, by glorifying their memory and diligently studying their work." He emphasized the personal and sovereign choice of the saintly ruler, the steps he took to strengthen and consolidate Christianity and the Church in Bulgaria, as well as the subsequent unprecedented flowering of spirituality and scholarship, which continue to be the subject of study and reflection to this day.

Metropolitan John of Varna and Veliki Preslav emphasized the significance of canonizing Bishop Constantine of Preslav. He said a formal request for canonization was submitted to the Holy Synod during the time of the late Patriarch Neophyte, and a commission was set up. The canonization holds great importance both for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the local diocese, the Metropolitan said. He noted that unlike other disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Constantine of Preslav was not canonized and remained largely forgotten by both scholars and the Church until the 19th century. Metropolitan John described Constantine as a major figure in the cultural and spiritual transformation that followed Bulgaria's Christianization - an era that marked a profound renewal of the Bulgarian people's cultural and creative identity.

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. He said the two anniversaries were 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. Prof. Pavlov 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.

The academic session was unveiled by Vice President Iotova. The guests at the opening of the session also included Shumen Regional Governor Katya Ivanova, Shumen Mayor Hristo Hristov, Shumen University Rector Prof. Natalia Vitanova, Sofia University Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, bishops of the Holy Synod, schoilars and public figures.

The celebrations of the two major anniversaries were organized by the Metropolitanate of Varna and Veliki Preslav.