The role of religion in Bulgaria is quite large. The church is an important symbol of identity, as well as a factor in physical, spiritual and cultural identity. In addition to patron of national art, at one time, the Bulgarian Church also acted as the custodian of significant, and sometimes even illegally published, books. This allowed Bulgaria, revived from the yoke of the Ottoman Empire, to return to its roots.
On the territory of the country, the religious structure generally corresponds to the national one. Almost all Bulgarians are Orthodox Christians (~83%), but there are also Muslims (~12%), who represent a Turks, Crimean Tatars. Turks are known to be Sunnis. There are also Shiite inclusions in the form of the Kizilbashi and Bektashi sects; they are mainly concentrated in the north-east of the country, where they live very friendly with Christian neighbors, honor Orthodox customs and saints, drink alcohol on their holidays...
Pomaks
There are interesting representatives of the Muslim faith here, the so-called Pomaks (in Bulgarian “Pomatsi”) - these are Bulgarians by language, but Muslims by faith. Descendants of those who were forcibly converted to the “Basurman” faith in the early years of the Ottoman regime. They were called so ironically - a derivative of the word "helper" (that is, assistant). However, many historians think that the Pomaks arose on the territory of Bulgaria mainly on their own initiative; living was more comfortable for those who accepted the faith of the ruling Ottoman Empire. Pomak women cover their heads and wear a scarf called "zabrodka". shalvari pants (i.e., bloomers) are also in use.
Pomak wedding dress Banya Bashi Mosque in Sofia
Gagauz
There is also the opposite phenomenon called "Gagauz" - Orthodox Turks. They also live in Moldova and Romania. As historians say, the Gagauz are descendants of the Seljuks who remained in Bulgaria after the raids, adopting the dominant Christian faith back in the 13th century, before the Ottoman conquest.
Thus, the Muslim and Christian faiths continue to exist on the territory of Bulgaria side by side... However, relations between the Bulgarians and Greeks (at first glance, brothers in faith) since the times of Byzantium have not been particularly warm. During the Ottoman yoke, the Greeks were allies of the Turks. After liberation, the Bulgarians reminded them of this by organizing pogroms. In connection with the formation of independent Bulgaria, many Greeks chose to emigrate to their homeland. In 1924, an “population exchange” took place between the two countries. The Greeks left the Black Sea region, and Bulgarians from Southern Thrace arrived in their place.
It is also worth mentioning an interesting fact that in the wake of the White Guard emigration of the 20s (Wrangel’s army) many Russians appeared in Bulgaria. By the way, in Bulgaria there is a “Union of Russian White Guards and their descendants” (the only one in the world).
Despite the closeness to Russian Orthodoxy, most religious holidays correspond to Catholic dates, with the exception of Easter, and the Bulgarian Church follows the Gregorian calendar. Nevertheless, the country's religious attractions are very popular among our compatriots.
The most famous and most visited place among pilgrims is the Rila Monastery, included by UNESCO in the list of cultural world heritage sites. The monastery museum contains a large number of artifacts. A place of honor among the relics is occupied by the Rila Cross, often called the Raphael Cross, made from a single piece of wood, measuring 80 by 43 centimeters. 104 miniatures with biblical scenes are carved on its surface. In total, there are 650 human figures on the cross, some no larger than a grain of rice! According to legend, the only tool used by monk Raphael was a pin. The work affected the master’s vision; after 12 years, Raphael became blind, so high was the price of completing the painstaking work. Read more about the monastery in the article “Rila Monastery. How to get there and what to pay attention to”.
Rila Monastery
The small Boyana Church, famous for its medieval frescoes, is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The cave monastery in the village of Ivanovo (whose official name is “Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael”), carved into the rocks above the Rusenski River, is recognized as a world heritage site. In addition to world-famous places, the country has a large number of valuable, from a religious point of view, attractions, and therefore pilgrimage trails to Bulgaria are not overgrown...