Orthodox Church Was Heart of April Uprising, Says Archimandrite Stefan in Sliven 2026

Balgarianovinite.com If the revolutionary committees can be defined as the brains of the April Uprising, then the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was its heart and the spiritual support of the people in their quest for freedom, said Archimandrite Stefan from the Office of the Metropolitan of Sliven during a conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the 1876 April Uprising at the BTA National Press Club in Sliven (Southeastern Bulgaria) on Thursday. 
He emphasized that many of the great revivalists were closely connected with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which preserved the people’s spirit and self-awareness during the years of slavery. The free Bulgarian Exarchate is a harbinger of the free Bulgarian state, Archimandrite Stefan noted.
As an example of the role of the clergy, he pointed to Sliven Metropolitan Seraphim, the so-called Silent Hero of the April Uprising. Without directly participating in revolutionary actions, the metropolitan, with his authority and advocacy, contributed to Sliven being spared from burning, Archimandrite Stefan recalled.  “Thanks to his letters to Exarch Joseph, which the exarch ordered to be translated into English, (…) Europe, and America began to understand what was happening in Bulgaria,” he pointed out.
Archimandrite Stefan emphasized the importance of historical memory and the need to preserve faith, traditions, and language as the basis of national identity. He expressed hope that the living memory of the heroes’ feat would be preserved and passed on to future generations.
BTA’s series of conferences are part of a joint initiative with Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), called “14 Centuries of Bulgaria in Europe”, aiming to commemorate anniversaries in Bulgarian history that are significant for European history through to 2032, when 1,400 years will be marked since the establishment of the first Bulgarian state in Europe – Old Great Bulgaria. Orthodox Church Was Heart of April Uprising, Says Archimandrite Stefan in Sliven 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-19 13:12:09 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law