Tsar Samuel was receiving a fitting welcome in the city he once defended, Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev said on Saturday in a statement released by the municipality.
He was commenting on the arrival of Samuel’s remains from Greece and their placement in the Basilica of St Sophia. Samuel had defended Sredets, as Sofia was then known, more than 1,000 years ago, Terziev said.
He described the return of the Bulgarian ruler’s remains as a major achievement for Bulgarian diplomacy and thanked everyone who had worked over the years to bring it about, as well as Greece for the understanding that had made the occasion possible.
“This is a special honour for me as mayor. Our city has its own place in the story of this Bulgarian ruler, a story worth knowing and passing on to our children,” Terziev said in the press release.
He recalled Samuel’s historical ties to Sredets, which withstood a 20-day siege by Emperor Basil II’s army in 986. Samuel set out for the besieged fortress, and the Byzantine army was forced to withdraw. Soon afterwards, Bulgarian forces inflicted a heavy defeat on the Byzantine army at the Gates of Trajan.
Sredets remained Bulgarian, and the city’s resistance formed part of one of the great victories in Bulgarian history, Terziev said.
He noted that, after Samuel’s death and the conquest of Bulgaria, Basil II confirmed the rights of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, referring in his charters to the Bulgarian bishoprics under Tsars Peter and Samuel. These included Sredets. Even after Bulgaria lost its independence, its name and ecclesiastical continuity survived, he said. This history was a reminder of Bulgaria’s deep roots and the great responsibility to preserve them, he added.
He said it was deeply meaningful that a history marked by war was now bringing Bulgaria and Greece together through friendship and mutual respect. The two countries were part of one European family, where differences did not divide them and mutual respect and shared values helped them build a common future, he added.
National pride could go hand in hand with respect for others, he said, adding that historical memory should be passed on to children “without hatred of others, but also without forgetting who we are”.
“History does not begin with us. How it will be remembered is up to us. On Saturday, Sofia welcomes Samuel with reverence and with the responsibility to keep his story alive,” Terziev said.
Samuel’s remains were laid in St Sophia, the church that gave the capital its name. Future generations would be able to pay their respects to the Bulgarian ruler there, the municipality said.
A state ceremony in Sofia marked the arrival of the remains.
Return of Tsar Samuel’s Remains Is Major Diplomatic Achievement, Mayor Terziev Says 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-03 16:21:08
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