Bulgaria Marks 1150th Anniversary of Conversion to Christianity

Bulgaria marks on Saturday the 1150th anniversary of its conversion to Christianity and the 1145th anniversary of the establishment of an autocephalous Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church also observes on Saturday the feast day of Saint Tsar Boris I the Baptiser, the medieval ruler, who converted Bulgaria to Christianity.

The celebrations, which will be held in the Eparchy of Varna and Veliki Preslav, will be attended by Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, daily Dnevnik reports.

There will be representatives of all Orthodox churches - the patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russia, Georgia, Serbia, Romania, Cyprus and Greece.

Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte will hold a divine liturgy together with the Bulgarian metropolitan bishops and the representatives of the other Orthodox churches in the Great Basillica in Pliska.

After the service, the Order of Saint Tsar Boris the Baptiser will be awarded to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Bulgaria's last King and former Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Patriarch Neophyte will hold another divine liturgy with the Bulgarian metropolitan bishops and the representatives of the other Orthodox churches in the Cathedral of Varna on Sunday.