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90th anniversary of consecration of Memorial Church of St Alexander Nevsky celebrated in Bulgaria
On 23 November 2014, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrated the commemoration day of the Holy and Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky and the 90th anniversary of the consecration of the Memorial Church dedicated to the holy Russian prince, web-site of St Nicholas Church, metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, reports. His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria officiated at the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal cathedral.
Among those praying at the service were Mrs. Tsetska Tsacheva, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria; Mr. Ivailo Kalfin, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria; Mrs. Jordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia; and Mr. Georgi Parvanov, former president of Bulgaria.
Archimandrite Filipp (Vasiltsev) represented the metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia.
After the Divine Liturgy His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte greeted all those present, noting that the Memorial Church of St Alexander Nevsky is a symbol of national historical memory and the Orthodox identity of the Bulgarian people.
According to the Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the construction of the church, first planned as a monument, “in which prayers to the Almighty would be lifted up for the prosperity of the Tsar-Liberator and his people and for the repose of the souls of the heroes who had died for the liberation of Bulgaria,” soon became a nation-wide concern. It was being built and decorated for almost half a century and was consecrated in September 1924.
“Political tempests did not shake the resolution of our ancestors to construct this majestic monument representing gratitude of the Bulgarian people,” His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte said. The Memorial Church of St Alexander Nevsky became the major church of the Orthodox Bulgarian nation and the chair of the Bulgarian Patriarch after the reestablishment of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. His Holiness expressed his satisfaction over the fact that in the year marking the 90th anniversary of the consecration of the Church of St Alexander Nevsky the Bulgarian Orthodox Church became a legal owner of the Patriarchal Cathedral Church.
“May God bless all of us, may we work in single-mindedness, mutual understanding and love for the benefit of our homeland and the Bulgarian people,” His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte said in conclusion of his homily.
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