In 2014 Bulgaria marks the 1000^th death anniversary of Tsar Samuil – a great and tragic figure in its history. He defended the independence of this country in a long-year and uneven battle with Byzantium. At the sight of his 15,000 blinded warriors, who returned from captivity, the ruler died. That was four years before the Byzantine empire conquered the Bulgarian landsand set in a domination that lasted up until 1185. The exhibition entitled “The Bulgarian AutocephalousArchbishopric in Ohrid – 1018 – 1767” is one of the events, dedicated to the death of Samuil. It can be seen at the National Museum of History. More details from the museum’s director Proffessor Bozhidar Dimitrov:

“The Bulgarian autocephalousarchbishopric was established by Emperor Basil II, replacing the Bulgarian Patriarchate with its headquarters in Ohrid. Archbishopric means a lower rank within the Orthodox hierarchy. At the same time he declared it autocephalous, i.e. self-governing, as its head was appointed by the emperor himself. Later on, when these lands fell under the authority of the sultan, he agreed to make it completely independent from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Its Primate had the title an Archbishop of Ohrid and Entire Bulgaria. That archbishopric was the longest existing Bulgarian church institution. If the Preslav Patriarchate acted less than 100 years, the Tarnovo one – not full 200, that one existed up to 1767, or 749 years. There were remarkable persons among the people, who ruled it – writers, church activists, such as Theophylact of Bulgaria. The Ohrid archbishopric did really a lot for the keeping of Christianity, especially in the Ottoman period; it turned into a pillar of Bulgarian national identity.”

The exhibition displays 65 objects, related to the history of the Bulgarian autocephalousarchbishopric in Ohrid.

“Luckily, its treasures have been preserved, we are talking mostly on icons, manuscripts, church plates from the period until WWI. In 1916 Prof. Bogdan Filov, then director of the National Museum of History, sent a letter to Gen. Zhekov, a commanding officer of the acting army, registering the sad results for the cultural and historical heritage over the two Balkan Wars /1912 – 1913/. He asked in that letter, scientists not to be called in the army like back in those wars, when some of them were killed, but a special intelligence unit to be formed for different researches in the newly liberated lands…”

Gen. Zhekov did form such a detachment. Macedonia was studied with his permission in terms of economy, demography, culture and history, Prof. Dimitrov further points out. The next proposal was movable monuments of culture to be collected from the frontline, in order not to be destroyed during the battles. The objects were brought to Sofia at the then existing People’s Museum. Years later those were transferred to the National Museum of History.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev