Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox patriarchate in Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church serves as the national church of Bulgaria, functioning as an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox institution with its spiritual center located in Sofia and encompassing over 2,600 parishes throughout the country.
Established in 1018 AD with traditional foundations attributed to Andrew the Apostle, the church gained independence as a patriarchate in 927 AD under Tsar Symeon before experiencing suppression during Ottoman rule and formal restoration in 1870.
The church has preserved Bulgarian language, literature, and religious traditions through centuries of foreign domination, maintaining cultural identity through monasteries like Rila and continuing to influence national consciousness today.
Currently organized into thirteen dioceses with more than 2,000 priests, the church operates theological academies in Sofia for clergy training and maintains official recognition as Bulgaria's historical religion with approximately 85% of the population as members.
The church represents one of the oldest Slavic Orthodox institutions and played a crucial role in developing the Cyrillic script through its connection to Saints Cyril and Methodius, fundamentally shaping Bulgarian written culture.
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