site.btaUPDATED 1,010 Years since Tsar Samuel's Reign Marked at Samuel's Fortress National Park-Museum

A ceremony at Samuel's Fortress National Park-Museum near Petrich on Saturday marked 1,010 years since the rule of Tsar Samuel. Attending the ceremony were President and Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces Rumen Radev,  MPs, MEPs, Petrich Mayor Dimitar Bruchkov, Blagoevgrad Regional Governor Georgi Dinev, Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil together with Bulgarian Orthodox Church representatives, mayors and municipal councilors, representatives of the Bulgarian scientific and academic community, public figures, and hundreds of citizens.  

In his speech, President Radev said that 1,010 years ago was a time of unseen, amazing victories of the Bulgarian weapon as well as a time of defeat, heroism and changes, but all of that time is depicted in one of the brightest images of Bulgaria's past. Radev described Tsar Samuel as a great and dedicated defender of the homeland and the Bulgarian people.

"Throughout his life, Tsar Samuel will remain an unwavering defender of Bulgarian independence, statehood and the spiritual heritage inherited from his predecessors - Krum, Boris and Simeon," the head of State said in his speech. He said Tsar Samuel was described by his contemporaries as unsurpassed in strength and bravery, as a man who never knew rest. "Samuel rejects the defeat after the conquest of Eastern Bulgaria, exposes and punishes the traitors and unites the Bulgarians in a battle against Byzantium," stressed Radev. In his words, Tsar Samuel's Bulgaria steadfastly defended its right to exist, fought against the empire for the liberation of the conquered lands, fought for international recognition, inflicting painful, heavy blows on the empire.

"Loyal to his army and people, Samuil's heart stopped beating only at the sight of the thousands of blinded Bulgarian soldiers at Klyuch. Apparently, Byzantium needed unheard-of cruelty, unparalleled in the chronicles, to break the resistance of the Bulgarians and to erase the memory of Tsar Samuel," said the head of State. He also pointed out that "as long as we exist as a nation, Tsar Samuel will strengthen our faith and hope in the star of Bulgaria." "The long lines of men with extinguished eyes and the memory of them will prevent any wavering in patriotism. They will remind us that our ancestors paid an immeasurable price for the Bulgarian name to endure," said Radev.

"Millennia later, Tsar Samuel rises in Bulgarian memory with his tragic fate, but also with his will to defend the freedom and dignity of Bulgaria. Even today, his sorrowful and heroic image is a measure of the honor of the homeland, of the resilient roots that withstood many storms over our ancestral land, the head of state said in his speech. The legacies of Tsar Samuel morally oblige us today to always place our homeland first and to defend it to the very end," Radev went on to say.

The President noted that the strength of a nation lies not only in its victories on the battlefield and its weapons but also in the sacrifice and self-denial in the face of inevitable fate, which even in defeat sows new seeds of Bulgarian greatness. "That is why the legacies of Tsar Samuel will continue to gather Bulgarians from near and far before this stone shield of Samuel's Bulgaria, to remind us that we are duty-bound to preserve both the memory and the legacy of our ancestors, so that Bulgaria may endure," Radev added.

In his address, Patriarch Daniil described Tsar Samuel as a majestic yet also tragic figure from Bulgaria's medieval past, who is known as a good and faithful son of the Church.

"Tsar Samuel is a ruler who, in times of trial for the Bulgarian kingdom, took the necessary care for it, sheltering it in the western borders of our country in the person of the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian and his immediate successors," Patriarch Daniil also said. He recalled that the Bulgarian ruler did everything in his power for the Church and the State to fight in unity of thought and action for the defence of the country and people.

The Patriarch described the times we live in today as difficult and complex. "Instability, insecurity, and indifference have taken over the world. War is not far from our homeland," he said. He urged the Bulgarian people to remember that God is omnipotent and merciful, and He is the one who can bring back peace, provide comfort, and save mankind from itself.

Petrich Mayor Dimitar Bruchkov told those present that the people of Petrich will preserve the memory of Samuel's warriors, pass it on with honor to the youth, and protect the land soaked with thousands of bloody tears and a royal heart that defended the integrity of Bulgaria.

The initiatives marking the 1,010th anniversary began on Friday night with a light show in the sky over the city park in Petrich. Earlier on Saturday, there was a literary and musical performance titled "Memory of Samuel" at Samuel's Fortress National Park-Museum. The programme continued with the laying of wreaths and flowers at the monument to the Bulgarian ruler.

The events commemorating the 1,010th anniversary of Tsar Samuel's reign will continue on Sunday with an international scientific conference about the history and culture of Samuel's Bulgaria at the History Museum in Petrich. Simultaneously, the 11th National Hiking Tour "In the Footsteps of Samuel's Warriors," organized by the Young Mountaineer association, will depart from Samuel's Fortress.