Today, religions in Bulgaria are approximately represented as follows: the Bulgarian Orthodox Church - 85%, Islam - 13%, Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism.

The territory of today's Bulgaria is geographically located on the border between the former western and eastern parts of the Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries. This predetermined the religious orientation of the country.

In 342, a religious council of bishops was held in Serdika (now Sofia) to strengthen harmony between the Western and Eastern churches.

Few lands in the world have been subjected to so many invasions and migrations from antiquity to the Middle Ages. In this whirlpool, Christian communities survived only in some isolated places.

Among the new conquerors in the 6th century, the predominant part was Slavic; in the next century, the pro-Bulgarians, led by Khan Asparuh, crossed the Danube and created the state - Bulgaria. The Slavs united in the fight against the Byzantines. Under these circumstances, there could be no question of baptism: the west was in complete decline, the Latin missionaries were fully occupied with introducing Christianity to the Germanic peoples, and the missionaries who arrived from Byzantium were received with hostility because of the constant wars between the empire and the Bulgarians.

This situation completely changed in the middle of the ninth century. It was then that social, economic and political factors combined to facilitate the spread of Christianity. The cautious and prudent leader of the Bulgarians, Tsar Boris I, realized that not a single pagan should remain, that baptism (adoption of the Christian religion) would strengthen his authority, that he would be considered not an ordinary leader, but "God's chosen one" and this would give him the opportunity to be first among the military aristocracy. In 1865, the king was baptized by a Greek missionary, and his example is followed by the broad masses despite the discontent of the aristocracy.

The Eastern Orthodox religion is perceived by the people, penetrates into their life and culture. Its first socio-political result is expressed in the process of merging the pro-Bulgarians and the Slavs.

The predominant religion in Bulgaria is Orthodox. Preserving its inherent orthodox structure, the Bulgarian Church, which has adopted the same dogmas and disciplines as the rest of the Orthodox Churches, is an autocephalous church, i.e. governs his inner life in a completely independent way.

The Bulgarian Church is headed by a Patriarch. The Patriarch, together with the Synod of Metropolitans, exercises supreme religious authority. Metropolitans, in accordance with religious canons, are irremovable; once elected, believers cannot be transferred from one diocese to another. An exception is possible only with promotion to the rank of patriarch.

Each diocese of the Bulgarian Church is divided into a certain number of enoria. Each enoria is headed by a leader, who, according to Orthodox rules, in most cases is a married priest. Matters of material security are decided by the secular (lay) council. The clergy of Bulgaria also enjoys the established social security system.

In addition to the mentioned Eastern Orthodox Bulgarian Church, which unites a part of Christianity in Bulgaria, other Christian denominations make up a small part: Catholics, Protestants. There is a certain number of followers of various sects: Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, Adventists and others.

At the start of World War II, there were approximately 60,000 Jews in Bulgaria. Thanks to the intervention of the authorities and the entire people of Bulgaria, they avoided their fatal end, which befell many of their religious brethren in other countries occupied by the Nazis. After the establishment of the State of Israel, 90% of Bulgarian Jews emigrated. The Jewish community in Bulgaria has synagogues in Sofia, Plovdiv, Ruse, but there are few parishioners.

Islam in Bulgaria is a natural consequence of the Ottoman yoke. Muslims in Bulgaria represent the most numerous stratum after the Orthodox. By ethnicity, they are divided into three groups: - Turks living in compact masses in the regions of Shumen, Razgrad, Kardzhali, Haskovo; - Gypsies scattered in small groups throughout the country; middle of the XVII century, most often found in the Rhodopes.

All these religious communities in Bulgaria exist legally and live in peace and harmony.

Dynovism

One of the most widespread non-traditional religions in Bulgaria is Dynovism. Its founder Peter Deunov I (1864-1944) was born into the family of an Orthodox priest, received a theological education, but departed from Orthodoxy, creating by 1918 a new religious and mystical doctrine of the rebirth of the soul and the animation of objects, which united theosophy, the works of Blavatsky and Roerichs, as well as the own revelations of Deunov, who called himself "the teacher of Beins Duno".

Members of the Dynovists' Society live in many Bulgarian towns. Every year from March 22 to September 22, they perform the so-called ritual of paneurhythmy (universal cosmic rhythm) - they meet the sunrise with songs, music and gymnastic exercises in certain places - on Mount Vitosha or in the Rila Lakes region in the Rila Mountains.

Bulgaria- secular state. Like all constitutional republics, it provides freedom of religion, which is enshrined in the country's Constitution. Religious institutions and institutions are separated from the state here. Different religions and confessions are represented in the country. About 80% of the country's population consider themselves believers, although only 13.6% of them regularly attend services.

The largest denomination is Christians - 85% of the total population. The main religion of the country according to tradition since the 9th century. officially considered Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It is professed by 82.6% of the inhabitants of Bulgaria. 0.6% of the population (44,000 people) profess Catholicism and 1.12% - Protestantism (Greek - Catholics and Protestants). There are adherents of the Armenian Gregorian Orthodox Church, followers of various Christian sects: Pentecostals, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, etc.

Islam is the second religion in terms of influence and number of adherents in Bulgaria. Almost 13% of the believing inhabitants of the country (about 1 million people) are Muslims.

A small number of representatives of Judaism also live in Bulgaria.

There are also Russian, Romanian and Evangelical churches in the country.

On the territory of modern Bulgaria there are many historical pagan cult objects: ancient Thracian sanctuaries and tombs - dolmens dating back to the 2nd-1st millennium BC. They are located near the villages of Sveshtari and Mezek, as well as the cities of Strelcha and Kazanlak.

Orthodoxy

Christianity came to Bulgaria in the 1st century AD. e. According to legend, Amplius, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, founded the first episcopal see in the city of Odes (now Varna). According to Eusebius of Caesarea, in the 2nd century episcopal departments already existed in the Bulgarian cities of Debelt and Anchial. Bishop of Sardica (now Sofia) Protogon was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council in 325.

In the middle of the 9th century, in 865, the Tsar of Bulgaria, Saint Prince Boris I, was the first to accept Christianity. He was baptized by a Greek missionary. This event was followed by a mass baptism of the Bulgarian people. Clever and cautious Boris understood that Christianity would help him unite the people of Bulgaria, strengthen the Bulgarian state, his power and influence. In addition, by the end of the first millennium, the political, economic and social conditions for the rapid spread of Christianity were in place. The people accept Orthodoxy, it becomes a part of their culture and life. In the next decade, the Bulgarian Christian Church becomes autocephalous (independent) under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Since then, Orthodoxy has lost its independence several times. Since 1953, it has again become autocephalous, i.e. she manages her inner life herself, and occupies the 6th place in the diptych (the list of churches mentioned during solemn liturgies). The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the Patriarch of Bulgaria, who, together with the Synod of Metropolitans, represents and exercises supreme religious authority. Services in churches in Bulgaria are conducted in Bulgarian. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is divided into dioceses, and those, in turn, into enoria, which are headed by priests (usually married).

Orthodoxy played an important role in the formation of the Bulgarian nation. During the reign of foreigners, it helped to preserve the native language and, in many ways, culture. The first Christian churches begin to be built at the end of the 1st millennium.

Catholicism

Catholicism is the third largest religion in Bulgaria after Orthodoxy and Islam. Belongs to the Greek Catholic Church. The first representatives of Catholicism appeared in the country in the XIV century during the rule of the Turks. These were merchants and miners from Western European countries, professing Roman Catholicism. In the XVI - XVII centuries. the Paulicians converted to Catholicism, the descendants of one of the largest and most influential heretical movements of the Middle Ages, which originated in Armenia in the 7th century. Due to religious persecution by the Turks in the XVIII century. the Paulicians were forced to flee from the territory of the former Byzantine Empire across the Danube and settled in the Banat region. They began to be called Banat Bulgarians. And today, 10-15 thousand descendants of the Paulicians (Banat Bulgarians) live on the border with Serbia and Romania, who now profess Roman Catholicism. Some of them converted to Islam (Pomaks) and live in Greece, Turkey and Macedonia (former Yugoslavia). At the beginning of the 20th century, during the Armenian genocide in Turkey, Armenians, representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Church, fled to Bulgaria. There are Catholic churches and cathedrals in the country: in Sofia, Plovdiv and other cities.

Islam

It is the second most followed religion in Bulgaria. Islam came after the conquest of the country by the Turks in the fourteenth century and was planted, almost by force, mostly among the townspeople. The Muslims of Bulgaria differ ethnically. The largest group is represented by Muslims of Turkish origin - ethnic Turks, of which there are more than 713,000 people in the country. They live compactly in the north-east of the country and on the border with Turkey: in Shumen, Razgrad, Kardzhali, Haskovo. Islam is also practiced by about 130,000 ethnic Bulgarians - Pomaks, in the XV - XVII centuries. forcibly converted to Islam. They live mainly in the Rhodopes. The third largest are the gypsies (103,000 people), living throughout the country in small groups. Islam in Bulgaria is also practiced by Tatars, Arabs, Circassians (20,000 people), who came to Bulgaria in the 19th century, Albanians and Bosnians.

Muslims in Bulgaria are mostly Sunnis (0.03%). There are about 80,000 Shiites in the country.

There are many mosques in the country. In Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, one of the oldest in Europe is located. Buyuk and Banya Bashi mosques are of interest. The largest Muslim complex, including a mosque, a madrasah, a cemetery, a library and a pavilion with mineral springs, "Tombul Jamia" is located in the city of Shumen. It was built in 1774. There are mosques in Plovdiv (Imaret and Dzhumaya), in Razgrad (mosques of Ahmed Bey and Ibrahim Pasha), in Samokov (Bayrakli). Interestingly, some of the cult objects - Demir Baba and the ruins of the village of Obrochishte (near Varna), are revered by both Muslims and Christians at the same time.

Judaism

Jews have lived in Bulgaria for 2000 years. In the Middle Ages, Jews from Central Europe settled on its lands. Entire communities of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings also found refuge here. At the beginning of World War II, there were about 60,000 representatives of Judaism in the country. They were able to avoid the fate that befell the Jews in other countries occupied by the Nazis. 90% of Bulgarian Jews emigrated to Israel when the state was established. Today the Jewish community in Bulgaria is not numerous. There are synagogues in many cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Samokov, Ruse, Vidin, etc.

Religious communities in Bulgaria exist officially and live together.

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  • State, religion, church in Russia and abroad No. 4 (32) 2014 , Not available. “The State, Religion, Church in Russia and Abroad” is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific publication published by the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration…

Good afternoon friends!

Today I will tell you about which religion in Bulgaria ranks first in terms of the number of followers. And also, let's talk about how and when other confessions got into the country.

I want to please you right away - all religions coexist peacefully here. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of religion.

From this article you will learn:

World religions peacefully coexist side by side

Today, Christianity is predominant in Bulgaria - about 80% of citizens. Most of them are Orthodox, the second place is Protestants (1.12%), and Catholicism is only 0.8%. Also, let's not forget about Armenian apostolicism (0.03%). The remaining 20% ​​of the inhabitants of Bulgaria profess Islam (10%), Judaism (0.012%), and other world religions.

I have a whole section about Bulgaria and moving to this country. Read if you are interested.

Orthodoxy

And yet, Christianity has been the main religion for many centuries. Christianity arrived here in the 1st century AD. e. According to the legend, Amplius, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, became the founder of the religious movement. He founded the first episcopal see in Varna.

Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky, Sofia

Islam

Islam came to the territory of the state along with the Turkish conquerors. The inhabitants were forced to convert to Islam almost by force. Since the Middle Ages (XIV century), the majority of Bulgarian Islamists are ethnic Turks. But, Islam is also practiced by ethnic Bulgarians - Pomaks.

Pomaks, 1932

Catholicism

The third largest number is occupied by Catholicism, belonging to the Roman Catholic branch. Although, the Greek Catholic movement was the first to get here. Catholicism appears by the XIV century. Merchants, miners, travelers from Europe brought their faith, which took root over time. To admire the Cathedral of St. Ludwig - visit the city of Plovdiv.

Judaism

Jews have lived in this area for a very long time, about 2000 years. They came here during the persecution by the Catholic kings of Spain. All major cities have synagogues. The community is not numerous, but Judaism belongs to one of the main religions of the country.

State and Church

A constitutional republic allows freedom of choice of faith for its citizens. This right for them is enshrined in the Constitution of Bulgaria. There are very rare cases of disputes, conflicts on the basis of faith. Although, only 14% of all residents of the country consider themselves true believers here.

About the development of Bulgaria and, read in my next articles.

Thank you for your attention, friends. I hope this article was useful and interesting for you.

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I was with you, Natalya Glukhova, I wish you a good day!

Bulgaria- secular state. Like all constitutional republics, it provides freedom of religion, which is enshrined in the country's Constitution. Religious institutions and institutions are separated from the state here. Different religions and confessions are represented in the country. About 80% of the country's population consider themselves believers, although only 13.6% of them regularly attend services.

The largest denomination is Christians - 85% of the total population. The main religion of the country according to tradition since the 9th century. officially considered Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It is professed by 82.6% of the inhabitants of Bulgaria. 0.6% of the population (44,000 people) profess Catholicism and 1.12% - Protestantism (Greek - Catholics and Protestants). There are adherents of the Armenian Gregorian Orthodox Church, followers of various Christian sects: Pentecostals, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, etc.

Islam is the second religion in terms of influence and number of adherents in Bulgaria. Almost 13% of the believing inhabitants of the country (about 1 million people) are Muslims.

A small number of representatives of Judaism also live in Bulgaria.

There are also Russian, Romanian and Evangelical churches in the country.

On the territory of modern Bulgaria there are many historical pagan cult objects: ancient Thracian sanctuaries and tombs - dolmens dating back to the 2nd-1st millennium BC. They are located near the villages of Sveshtari and Mezek, as well as the cities of Strelcha and Kazanlak.

Orthodoxy

Christianity came to Bulgaria in the 1st century AD. e. According to legend, Amplius, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, founded the first episcopal see in the city of Odes (now Varna). According to Eusebius of Caesarea, in the 2nd century episcopal departments already existed in the Bulgarian cities of Debelt and Anchial. Bishop of Sardica (now Sofia) Protogon was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council in 325.

In the middle of the 9th century, in 865, the Tsar of Bulgaria, Saint Prince Boris I, was the first to accept Christianity. He was baptized by a Greek missionary. This event was followed by a mass baptism of the Bulgarian people. Clever and cautious Boris understood that Christianity would help him unite the people of Bulgaria, strengthen the Bulgarian state, his power and influence. In addition, by the end of the first millennium, the political, economic and social conditions for the rapid spread of Christianity were in place. The people accept Orthodoxy, it becomes a part of their culture and life. In the next decade, the Bulgarian Christian Church becomes autocephalous (independent) under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Since then, Orthodoxy has lost its independence several times. Since 1953, it has again become autocephalous, i.e. she manages her inner life herself, and occupies the 6th place in the diptych (the list of churches mentioned during solemn liturgies). The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the Patriarch of Bulgaria, who, together with the Synod of Metropolitans, represents and exercises supreme religious authority. Services in churches in Bulgaria are conducted in Bulgarian. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is divided into dioceses, and those, in turn, into enoria, which are headed by priests (usually married).

Orthodoxy played an important role in the formation of the Bulgarian nation. During the reign of foreigners, it helped to preserve the native language and, in many ways, culture. The first Christian churches begin to be built at the end of the 1st millennium.

Catholicism

Catholicism is the third largest religion in Bulgaria after Orthodoxy and Islam. Belongs to the Greek Catholic Church. The first representatives of Catholicism appeared in the country in the XIV century during the rule of the Turks. These were merchants and miners from Western European countries, professing Roman Catholicism. In the XVI - XVII centuries. the Paulicians converted to Catholicism, the descendants of one of the largest and most influential heretical movements of the Middle Ages, which originated in Armenia in the 7th century. Due to religious persecution by the Turks in the XVIII century. the Paulicians were forced to flee from the territory of the former Byzantine Empire across the Danube and settled in the Banat region. They began to be called Banat Bulgarians. And today, 10-15 thousand descendants of the Paulicians (Banat Bulgarians) live on the border with Serbia and Romania, who now profess Roman Catholicism. Some of them converted to Islam (Pomaks) and live in Greece, Turkey and Macedonia (former Yugoslavia). At the beginning of the 20th century, during the Armenian genocide in Turkey, Armenians, representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Church, fled to Bulgaria. There are Catholic churches and cathedrals in the country: in Sofia, Plovdiv and other cities.

Islam

It is the second most followed religion in Bulgaria. Islam came after the conquest of the country by the Turks in the fourteenth century and was planted, almost by force, mostly among the townspeople. The Muslims of Bulgaria differ ethnically. The largest group is represented by Muslims of Turkish origin - ethnic Turks, of which there are more than 713,000 people in the country. They live compactly in the north-east of the country and on the border with Turkey: in Shumen, Razgrad, Kardzhali, Haskovo. Islam is also practiced by about 130,000 ethnic Bulgarians - Pomaks, in the XV - XVII centuries. forcibly converted to Islam. They live mainly in the Rhodopes. The third largest are the gypsies (103,000 people), living throughout the country in small groups. Islam in Bulgaria is also practiced by Tatars, Arabs, Circassians (20,000 people), who came to Bulgaria in the 19th century, Albanians and Bosnians.

Muslims in Bulgaria are mostly Sunnis (0.03%). There are about 80,000 Shiites in the country.

There are many mosques in the country. In Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, one of the oldest in Europe is located. Buyuk and Banya Bashi mosques are of interest. The largest Muslim complex, including a mosque, a madrasah, a cemetery, a library and a pavilion with mineral springs, "Tombul Jamia" is located in the city of Shumen. It was built in 1774. There are mosques in Plovdiv (Imaret and Dzhumaya), in Razgrad (mosques of Ahmed Bey and Ibrahim Pasha), in Samokov (Bayrakli). Interestingly, some of the cult objects - Demir Baba and the ruins of the village of Obrochishte (near Varna), are revered by both Muslims and Christians at the same time.

Judaism

Jews have lived in Bulgaria for 2000 years. In the Middle Ages, Jews from Central Europe settled on its lands. Entire communities of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings also found refuge here. At the beginning of World War II, there were about 60,000 representatives of Judaism in the country. They were able to avoid the fate that befell the Jews in other countries occupied by the Nazis. 90% of Bulgarian Jews emigrated to Israel when the state was established. Today the Jewish community in Bulgaria is not numerous. There are synagogues in many cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Samokov, Ruse, Vidin, etc.

Religious communities in Bulgaria exist officially and live together.