Bulgaria Commemorates St. Euthymius of Tarnovo

Konstantin Karagyozov

The procession in memory of St Euthymius of Tarnovo, January 20, 2025 (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

20.01.2025 14:32

(BTA)

St. Euthymius of Tarnovo, the last patriarch of the Second Bulgarian Empire, was commemorated Monday with a liturgy and a procession, led by the Metropolitan of Sofia and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil.

"On this day, we celebrate the memory of one of the greatest fathers who shone from the Bulgarian nation – St Patriarch Euthymius, the father of our people during some of the most difficult and tragic years in our nation's history," said Patriarch Daniil in his address after serving the liturgy for the feast at the Church of the Holy Seven Saints in Sofia.

His Holiness spoke about the life and work of the cleric. St Euthymius dedicated his entire life and soul to all the people entrusted to him, Patriarch Daniil said.

"Today, too, we live in very tumultuous times – of divisions and discord – both in our country and in the Balkan states. We are not united. Rather, people are more concerned with Mammon – the god of money, material comfort, and pleasures. But it is not possible to serve two masters, nor is it possible to bring about positive change by listening to the voice that leads us toward passions and sins. We cannot expect anything good – on a personal, societal, or national level – if we do not turn back, if we do not realize that it cannot go well for us if we are not with God," Patriarch Daniil said.

After the liturgy, as per tradition, a procession began at the church and continued to the monument of St Euthymius of Tarnovo, where wreaths and flowers were laid.

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St Euthymius of Tarnovo was born in 1327 to a noble family in the old Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo. In the Holy Trinity church he built, Euthymius undertook the significant task of improving Bulgarian orthography based on the language of the first teachers – Sts Cyril and Methodius. He carried out linguistic reform by developing and establishing a literary language deliberately distanced from colloquial speech, through which "the art of weaving words" reached perfection. He also reformed Bulgarian liturgical books to make them more comprehensible and accessible to the minds and consciousness of believers.

During the fall of Tarnovo to Ottoman rule in 1393, Patriarch Euthymius stood as the last defender of the Bulgarian Orthodox faith and state. For his bravery, he was sentenced to death, but the legend says a miracle occurred: when the Ottoman executioner raised his hand to behead him, his arm stiffened, and the sword fell to the ground. The last Bulgarian patriarch was exiled and died around 1402.

St Patriarch Euthymius of Tarnovo was canonized by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the 15th century and has been included in its festive calendar ever since. His memory is also honoured on January 20th by other Orthodox churches. In Bulgaria, the feast is celebrated at the Holy Trinity Monastery near Veliko Tarnovo, where the saint worked with his followers.

/RY/