site.btaBulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul Hosts Photo Exhibition Marking Father Paisii of Hilandar's Tricentennial

A photo exhibition marking the 300th birth anniversary of Bulgarian National Revival pioneer Paisii of Hilandar (1772-1773) and the 260th anniversary of his epoch-making Slavonic-Bulgarian History, was staged at the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul.

The display, prepared by the Central Library of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, came to the Turkish megapolis at the invitation of the Bulgarian Exarchate Board jointly with the Bulgarian Embassy in Ankara and the Bulgarian Consulate General in Istanbul.

The exhibits show the earliest information about the History, foreign sources about the book, original manuscripts and quotations. 

Prof. Kiril Topalov, a prominent expert on Father Paisii's lifework, was a guest of the local Bulgarian community in connection with the exhibition. Interviewed for BTA, the professor said that Paisii is at the inception of the National Revival: he triggered Bulgarians' consolidation around a common language, history and territory. "Paisii shaped the Bulgarian nation," the scholar explained. "He was a brilliant essayist, stylist and scholar. All studies show that he was a professional historian."

Asked about his impressions of meeting Bulgarians in Istanbul, Topalov said he was pleased to find that their link to Bulgaria is strong and powerful. "Regrettably, few Bulgarians here speak Bulgarians," he noted.

The professor recalled that in the mid-19th century, the 60,000-strong Bulgarian community in Constantinople was the largest non-Muslim community in the Ottoman capital.  

The Bulgarian Ambassador in Ankara Angel Cholakov said that the exhibition is the first event of an initiative titled "Evenings at the Exarchate". "The idea is invite prominent scholars and intellectuals and also Bulgarians who make us dream and serve us as role models."
 
Ferihan Atasoy, who teaches literature at the Sts Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Sunday School, said that Slavonic-Bulgarian History has been translated for the first time into Turkish. The translation has been done by Tugce Konak, who graduated in Bulgarian Studies from Ankara University.

So far, the full text of the History has been translated and published in English (two versions), German, and Greek.