Паметта за мъртвите: структуриране на сакралните пространства в ранновизантийските некрополи и градове (според паметниците от територията на съвременна България)

Author(s): Iva Doseva / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2015

This article aims to pose some questions on the formation of the Christian value system: when did the attitude towards the dead changed, when did the attitude towards life and the saintly dead undergo a major alteration? This attitude is not only the very formation basis of a certain saint’s cults but it also has a powerful impact on the structuring of the urban as well as the extra-urban and church spaces. Ejnar Dуggve calls the commencement of the process of intrusion of the city of the dead into the city of the living, a problem of the cultural history. The short review of the development of the Christian necropoles, located in the vicinity of the fortified cities, is based on archaeological evidences. Isolated cases of urban burials are not left unmentioned. Another symptom of the undergoing change is the emergence of the practice of depositio ad santos, relating the intention of the faithful to find blissful rest next to the saintly relics. The burials under the church floors form yet another aspect of the general problem. The formation of the church crypts is analysed as well as the deposition of reliquaries there as late as the mid-fifth century. Some cases are commented showing examples of varying disposition ratio between grave, relics, martyrium and church.

Св. Георги Нови Софийски. Разпространение и аспекти на култа

Author(s): Ivanka Gergova / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2015

St Georgе the New Martyr of Sofia/Kratovo was one of the first Balkan new martyrs after the Ottoman conquest whose cult was strongly developed and achieved wide dissemination. George was born in Kratovo in 1496–1497. When he was orphaned, left Kratovo and he went to Sofia. The local Muslims tried to draw the young man towards their faith, but he maintained his Christian beliefs. For this reason he was taken to court, condemned to death and burnt at the stake. The clergy and Christians buried them in the cathedral church of St Marina on the 11th February, 1515. From the very outset favourable conditions existed for the creation of a cult to the young mar- tyr. Priest Peio wrote an extensive life, service and prologue about the new martyr. The brief life of St Georgе the New Martyr tells how the relics of the saint were removed from the grave, later they were gradually scattered. There are references to a whole series of caskets containing relics of St George the New Martyr: in the Kremikovski Monastery, in the church of St George in Sofia; in Rila Monastery has five caskets containing parts of the bones of the saint; in the Hilandar Monastery. References to the relics of the Sofia martyr have also been found in the Serbian mon- asteries of Dechani, Studenitsa and Velika Remeta. Initially the cult of St George the New Martyr was local but not limited to Sofia. The service to the saint refers to believers from the surrounding area, who made pilgrim- ages to worship his relics. The earliest image of St George the New Martyr close to the centre of the cult can be found in the narthex of the church at the Bilinsky Monastery, which in my opinion dates from the 16th century. Soon after the establishment of the cult of the newly martyred saint in Sofia, the cult spread to the Hilandar Monastery on Holy Mount Athos. All the main elements required for a cult can be observed here – the presence of relics, texts and images. At the same time St George the New Martyr also became celebrated in his home village of Kratovo. In 1536–1537, Prince Dimitar Pepic of Kra- tovo became a patron of the Toplicki Monastery, in Demir Hisar region, and he paid for the murals in which St George the New Martyr is depicted. In the 17th century, images of the newly martyred saint continued to appear in the Demir Hisar and Kichevo region. The image of St George the New Martyr in the diocese of the Serbi- an Patriarchate of Pech became unusually popular after its restoration in 1557. Over the next decades and into the 17th century, dozens of churches over a large territory brought the image of the newly martyred saint of Sofia to the lay people and clergy. It can be stated with certainty that during the first century after the death of the saint, the majority of his images were created within the territory of the Serbian church. It is usually emphasised that the image of the newly martyred saint is an example to believers and protects them from abandoning the Christian faith. However, this is probably only a part of the truth. Of the large number of newly martyred saints, only this one can be found in Serbian churches and the reason for his choice must be connected with his Serbian nationality. The adherence to the cult of Serbian saints of all categories was an important element of the policy of the Patriarchate of Pech during the Ottoman Empire. The period between the 18th and 19th centuries marked a new stage in the devel-opment of the cult and its territorial spread. During these two centuries the cult underwent a real renaissance in the Bulgarian lands. In Sofia, where the cult had been maintained without interruption during the 19th and the 20th centuries, other traditional folk forms of reverence had developed. The guild of goldsmiths in Sofia, like those in Kratovo, Skopje and Pirot, accepted the newly martyred saint as their patron. From the second half of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, a large num- ber of murals and icons of St George the New Martyr appeared in Sofia, frequently accompanied of St Nickola the New Martyr of Sofia. However, during this period in the Bulgarian lands the reputation of the martyr of Sofia went beyond the local boundaries of fame and reverence. He was included in the pantheon of those nation- al saints who played an important role in the leading processes of Bulgarian society– for national self-awareness and the struggle for the independence of the Bulgarian church. For a long time in the saint’s birthplace of Kratovo and the region, there was no mention of his worship. This was renewed or activated during the second half of the 19th century.

Образите на св. Теодор Студит в България и техният балкански контекст

Author(s): Elka Bakalova,Tsvetan Vassilev / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2015

Saint Theodore the Studite is undoubtedly one of the most prominent representatives of Orthodox monasticism. He is known primarily as an abbot of the famous Studion monastery in Constantinople, as a monastic reformer, theologian and ardent enemy of heretical iconoclastic policies in the Byzantine Empire. The sources about him emphasize above all his adamant character, his brilliant abilities as a preacher and his willingness to champion the rights of the church, even at the price of deep personal sacrifice. As a writer he is pointed out mainly with his polemic against Iconoclasme, but he is also the author of other sermons, letters and hymns. He is credited for the creation of important works of Byzantine hymnography. We especially highlight this aspect of the work of Theodore the Studite, because it turned out to be particularly essential in the representation of the saint in monumental painting. Our task here is to present the images of St Theodore the Studite in the monuments in Bulgaria as compared to similar images (mainly unpublished) from other churches in the Balkans from the period XII–XVIII c., as we add to the presented material in the study of Doula Mouriki. We have discussed the images of the saint in the Boyana church (1259), in the church of “St Stephan” (a New metropolis) in Nessebar (1599), “St Athanasius” in Arbanassi (XVII c.) and the church “The Nativity of the Virgin” of the Rozhen monastery from 1732. We pay special attention to the texts of the scrolls held by the saint. The texts inscribed on the scrolls held by St Theodore vary. This fact indicates that the image of this saint often was associated with a particular aspect of the iconographic program in which his portrait was incorporated. According to the findings of Doula Mouriki, which are confirmed by the reviewed by us monuments and texts written on the scrolls held by the saint “in so far as church decoration is concerned, Theodore appears in his role of great doctrinal personality in the icon controversy, the preacher of ideal life within monastic communities, and the composer of pertinent ecclesiastical hymns.” In addition to many new examples of frescoes in Bulgaria and other Balkan countries we should point out the especially included image of St Theodore the Studite with the corresponding hymn in the composition of the “Tree of Jesse” from XIII c. on.

Il concetto dei Seminari Minori alla luce del conciliar Decree "Optatam totius" e dell'insegnamento ecclesiastico post-conciliar

Author(s): Ryszard Selejdak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 47/2016

Minor Seminaries are presented in the conciliar Decree Optatam totius and in the post conciliar teaching of the Church as institutions established to cultivate the seeds of vocation, which express themselves in the human qualities and a faith directed towards a serious approach to vocational discernment and a particular attraction towards the priesthood. These Seminaries are established as a setting for vocational growth. The educational means applied are a special religious formation and appropriate spiritual direction. Minor Seminaries must be truly educational communities. The way of life which they offer should be appropriate to age, mentality, development and to the criteria of a healthy psychology, without neglecting a suitable experience of human life and family relationships. The studies should be arranged in such a way that they do not created difficulties for those who intend to follow them, in the event that they leave the Minor Seminary. The educators of Minor Seminaries must be chosen by the Bishops from among the best diocesan priests and must be recognised for their devotion and sound doctrine, appropriate personal experience, zeal for souls and a particular aptitude for formation and teaching. Their principle task is to help seminarians in their fitting and prudent vocational discernment.

Il simbolo sponsale come ponte tra le tradizioni greca e Siriaca: Un approccio patristico-litúrgico. parte prima

Author(s): Bishara Ebeid / Language(s): Polish Issue: 47/2016

The relationship between God and human being was seen, already in the OT, as amorous. The image that was most preferred, with which this relationship could be described, was the spousal image. It was used metaphorically to underline, on the one hand, the desire of the man-bride to go back to paradise, after his fall, and to be with his God bridegroom and to join Him, and on the other, the will of God-bridegroom himself, being in his garden-paradise, to invite His bride to come and to enter to make the nuptial feast with Him. In this first part of our article we will illustrate this symbolic image, starting from its dogmatic base, then presenting its biblical background and at the end analyzing the Greek patristic interpretations of it and how the fathers related this image to the liturgical life of the primitive church.

Eucharystyczna obecność Chrystusa w rozumieniu liturgicznym Kościoła Antiocheńskiego

Author(s): Severius Moses Gorgun,Mirosław Rucki,Michael Abdalla / Language(s): Polish Issue: 47/2016

In the paper, the liturgy of the Syriac-Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Antiochia is discussed. It is traced back to the Apostolic Tradition of the Church of Jerusalem and is connected with Jacob the brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The profound ties between the Eucharistic liturgy and the Jewish Pesach is presented, and its understanding as a re-experience of old events is emphasized. The analysis of the key Aramaic/Syriac and Hebrew words proves that in the very point of the Last Supper Jesus Christ meant His real presence (not just symbol) in the Eucharist. The oldest documents of Christianity confirm this understanding in the early Church, especially that of the Aramaic backgroung. Moreover, the liturgical space and the variety of anaphoras in the Antiochan Church are the witnesses of the continuous teaching on the Eucharist kept here. Based on the St Ephrem the Syrian’s work, it is also illustrated how the ties with Biblical Judaism and the understanding of the real Eucharistic presence of Christ were always the typical characteristics of the Syriac speaking Church, like it is today.

Liturgia chrzcielna księcia Mieszka I. Próba źródłowej rekonstrukcji

Author(s): Karol Litawa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 47/2016

Due to the lack of written sources testifying the liturgy of baptism and of the other sacraments of Christian initiation of the first sovereign of Poland, Mieszko I, one can formulate a hypothesis, that the celebrant used the rites from the Romano-German Pontifical, edited in Mainz in the early 10th century. Unquestionable, from the historical-liturgical point of view this Pontifical had a large impact for the edition of the liturgical books in the following centuries, including the liturgical books in Poland. The hypothesis formulated in this study brings closer a distant historical moment, which took out the polish forefathers from the pagan world instilling them to the Mystical Body of Christ and to the centuries-old tradition of the Church, and opening them — at the same time — to the European, i.e. Christian culture.

Sprawozdania i recenzje

Author(s): Piotr Szlufik,Franciszek Koenig,Mateusz Rafał Potoczny,Ryszard Kalamarz,Radosław Błaszczyk,Henryk Nadrowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 47/2016

Review of: Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - KAROL LITAWA, I riti propri del Papa celebrati nella Capella privata durante la Settimana Santa nei secoli XII e XIII, Rzym: Pontificio Istituto Liturgico 2014, 293 s., ISBN 978-83-62934-57-7. Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - GUIDO FUCHS, Weekend a liturgia. Między kościelną Tradycją a współczesnym przeżywaniem czasu, Kraków: „Homo Dei” 2014, 198 [1] s., ISBN 978-83-64451-14-0. Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - CZESŁAW KRAKOWIAK, Sakramentalia i błogosławieństwa w liturgii Kościoła (Prace Wydziału Teologii 167), Lublin: TN KUL Jana Pawła II 2015, 194 s., ISBN 978-83-7306-689-2. Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - MAREK CHMIELEWSKI, JANUSZ KRÓLIKOWSKI, Duchowość uczynków miłosierdzia. Materiały duszpasterskie na Jubileuszowy Rok Miłosierdzia (8 XII 2015–20 XI 2016) (Biblioteka Ostrobramska 5), Ostra Brama, Skarżysko-Kamienna: Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Ostrobramskiej 2015, 193 [3] s., ISBN 978-83-7847-300-8. Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - KAZIMIERZ MATWIEJUK, Triduum paschalne. Trzy noce Chrystusa zdradzonego i ukrzyżowanego, który zmartwychwstał, Siedlce: „Unitas” 2015, 249 [1] s., ISBN 978-83-61071-91-4. Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - WALDEMAR JAN PAŁĘCKI MSF, Pytanie o liturgię. Misterium liturgii w życiu Kościoła, przedm. Zbigniew Wit, Lublin: Wydaw. KUL 2015, 208 s., ISBN 978-83- 7702-956-5. Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - PIOTR ROSZAK, Mozarabowie i ich liturgia. Chrystologia rytu hiszpańsko-mozarabskiego, Toruń: Wydaw. Naukowe UMK 2015, 317 s., ISBN 978-83-231-3342-1. Ks. Mateusz Potoczny - GRZEGORZ ŚMIECIŃSKI, Liturgia po Soborze Watykańskim II w (archi)diecezji katowickiej, przedm. Andrzej Żądło, Katowice: „Emmanuel” 2015, 326 s., ISBN 978- 83-63757-88-5. Ks. Piotr Wiśniewski - IRENEUSZ PAWLAK, Laudes et Vesperae Dominicales. Chwalby Poranne (Jutrznia) i Nieszpory na niedziele okresu zwykłego z towarzyszeniem organowym, red. S. Garnczarski, Tarnów: Wydawnictwo Biblos 2015, 124 s., ISBN 978-83-7793-355-8. Ks. Piotr Wiśniewski - WIESŁAW HUDEK,PIOTR WIŚNIEWSKI, Cantare amantis est. Wieloautorska monografia naukowa z okazji 80. urodzin Ks. Prof. dr. hab. Ireneusza Pawlaka, Lublin: Wydawnictwo „Polihymnia” 2015, 615 s., ISBN 978-83 7847-253-7. Ks. Piotr Wiśniewski - TADEUSZ BRATKOWSKI, Officium divinum de tempore w rękopiśmiennych antyfonach zakonów benedyktyńskich w Polsce od XV do XIX wieku, Rzeszów: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego 2013, 336 s., ISBN 978-83-7338-894-9. Ks. Piotr Wiśniewski - Kasjodor (Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus), Institutiones musicae. Zasady muzyki, Z języka łacińskiego przełożył, wstępem i komentarzem opatrzył oraz słownik sporządził Lucjan Dyka, Rzeszów: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego 2015, ss. 209, ISBN 978-83-7996-173-3. Ks. Franciszek Koenig - MARIA SZYMANOWICZ, Polska bibliografia organów, t. II, Lublin: Wydawnictwo Muzyczne „Polihymnia” 2014, 479 s., ISBN 978-83-7847-241-4. Ks. Franciszek Koenig - GRZEGORZ POŹNIAK, Katalog organów diecezji opolskiej, cz. II (Z Dziejów Kultury Chrześcijańskiej na Śląsku 86), Opole: Redakcja Wydawnictw Wydziału Teologicznego UO 2015, 264 s., ISBN 978-83-63950-60-6. Ks. Franciszek Koenig - ANDRZEJ MIKOŁAJ SZADEJKO, Styl i interpretacja w utworach organowych Friedricha Christiana Mohrheima (1719?–1780) i Johanna Gottfrieda Müthela (1728–1788). Zagadnienia wykonawcze i stylistyczne muzyki organowej w regionie południowego Bałtyku w osiemnastym wieku, Gdańsk: Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki 2010, 310 s., płyta CD, ISBN 987-83-925967-6-9. Ks. Franciszek Koenig - GRZEGORZ POŹNIAK, Opolski krajobraz organowy, Opole: Diecezjalny Instytut Muzyki Kościelnej 2015, 95 s., ISBN 978-83-7342-474-6. Ks. Franciszek Koenig - PIOTR KULITA, Muzyka w sakramentach inicjacji chrześcijańskiej po Soborze Watykańskim II na podstawie obrzędów w języku polskim, Lublin: Wydawnictwo „Polihymnia” 2015, 338 s., ISBN 978-83-7847-254-4. Ks. Franciszek Koenig - GRZEGORZ POŹNIAK,PIOTR TARLINSKI (red.), Śląskie organy IV. Materiały z konferencji organoznawczej zorganizowanej przez Katedrę Muzyki Kościelnej i Wychowania Muzycznego Wydziału Teologicznego Uniwersytetu Opolskiego oraz Diecezjalny Instytut Muzyki Kościelnej w dniu 18 marca 2015 (Sympozja 87), Opole: Redakcja Wydawnictw Wydziału Teologicznego UO 2015, 317 s., ISBN 978-83- 63950-57-6. Ks. Piotr Szlufik SDB HIERONIM CHAMSKI,MIROSŁAW WYSZOGRODZKI SDB (opr.), Tobie Panie zaufałem. Akompaniamenty, Płock: Wydawnictwo „Hejnał” 2015, 222 s., ISMN 979-0- 801-501-31-8. Ks. Piotr Szlufik SDB - MIROSŁAW WYSZOGRODZKI SDB (wybór i opr.), Śpiewy religijne. Towarzyszenia organowe, Płock: Wydawnictwo „Hejnał” 2015, 417 [3] s., ISMN M-979-0-801501-23-3.

Personifikacje cnót w dramacie liturgicznym „Ordo Virtutum” Hildegardy z Bingen i na romańskich kolumnach kościoła św. Trójcy w Strzelnie

Author(s): Debora Wiąckiewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 04 (31)/2016

Composed by Hildegard of Bingen in the Rhine-Hessen region in the middle of the 12th century, the liturgical drama Ordo Virtutum depicts a symbolic internal struggle for the fate of the soul between the virtues and the devil and is originally transposed into the language of low-relief found in the church owned by the Canonesses Nuns convent in Strzelno, a little town situated on the border of Kujawy and Wielkopolska regions in Poland. The aim of this article is to present how two visions of the same concept complement each other in an intriguing way, although they are expressed by two separate, yet merging languages of music linked with the text and low relief. Most of the musical and literary personifications of both Ordo Virtutum and low reliefs featuring figures in Strzelno are still comprehensible, despite being created eight centuries ago. They introduce the audience to the world of medieval sermons, theological treatises, lectures on ethics and moral theology. Both works show a holistic vision of the world, held by people of the medieval era. In that vision what is spiritual, mystical and elusive for the outward physical senses intertwines and is closely linked with what is tangible, material and directly perceptible. Hildegard’s music praised not only the works of God but also the virtues as deeply human attributes, linked with effort and choices of a free human being, capable of establishing a relationship with God. The column of virtues in Strzelno introduces to the sacred sphere a multitude of figures that become an icon of widely accessible perfection. It seems that both artists aimed at educating their audience as beauty was supposed to ennoble by giving the strength to the truth so that it could lead to good, also the ultimate good — God.

Храм „Св. Пророк Илия", с. Беласица (Елешница), Петричко

Author(s): Vladimir Dimitrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2016

The paper focuses on a monument painted by the Minovs family of iconographers in the National Revival period. I came across it after publishing my study on the heritage of this family of icon-painters. The church is located in the village of Belasitsa (Eleshnitsa) in the region of Petrich and is dedicated to the Holy Prophet Elijah. The text presents the murals and the icons at the church.

NAGROBKI PRZY KOŚCIELE WNIEBOWZIĘCIA NMP I ŚW. JAKUBA APOSTOŁA W SZADKU TOMBSTONES BESIDE THE CHURCH OF ASSUMPTION

Author(s): Bartłomiej Czyżewski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 16/2016

First churchyards were founded around 5th–6th century AD near the temples where in crypts were the remains of saints. Over time, these cemeteries were built near every church. Burials at the churchyards were abandoned in the 18th century because of numerous epidemics that had sources at these cemeteries. People started to bury their dead at cemeteries outside the cities. The churchyard at the Church of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint James the Apostle in Szadek was founded in the Middle Ages and continued to be used during the next centuries. It seems that the cemetery was used until the second half of the 19th century and even at the beginning of the 20th century. Currently, beside the church are seven tombstones and gravestones, which are the remains of the old churchyard. The preserved tombstones and gravestones belonged to: Józef Formański and Helena Formańska, Wiktoria Rolińska, Józefa Maliszewska, Józef Kozieł, Marceli and Cecylia Kozłowski, Teodora Skupińska oraz Jan Kiełkiewicz. These people lived in Szadek and the surrounding villages and were buried at the end of the 19th – beginning of 20th century.

Johannesbote Rundbrief des Heimatwerkes der Katholiken aus der Freien Prälatur Schneidemühl (Grenzmark Posen–Westpreussen), Weihnachten 67(2015)

Author(s): Tadeusz Ceynowa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2016

Przyczynek do pielgrzymowania na Pomorskiej Drodze św. Jakuba

Author(s): Krystyna Bastowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2014

Две нови православни църкви в София. Живо ли е дарителството днес?

Author(s): Valentina Sharlanova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2016

100-lecie kościoła pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela w Trzciance

Author(s): Edwin Klessa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 5/2017

Sprawozdanie z konferencji naukowej pt. Europa Christiana. Konwersja władcy, sakralizacji władzy, chrystianizacji poddanych.

Author(s): Ziemowit Kraska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2017

Монашество и манастири по българските земи

Author(s): Albena Simova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

«IL EST PLUS DIFFICILE DE PRESERVER QUE DE BATIR»: LE PATRIARCHE DE CONSTANTINOPLE, JEREMIE II TRANOS ET LES PAYS ROUMAINS

Author(s): Violeta Barbu / Language(s): French Issue: 3/2017

The status of the patriarch of Constantinople during the Ottoman era has been widely and passionately discussed over many decades. Without being as intensely probed, the institution of the ecumenical patriarchate deserves an equal attention since recently published historical sources may help us to better understand its norms and practices. Such sources were left behind by the visit in the Romanian lands of patriarch Jeremy II Tranos on his way to Moscow. These texts shed new light on his pastoral strategy with respect to the Christians he considered of his fold and on political attitude towards the Romanian princes at the end of the 16th century. Alongside well known sources, the paper brings into discussion five original grammata signed by patriarch Jeremy II, of which three are available in later copies. The acts regard the collection of subsidies for the churches in the Balkans and the welfare of the monasteries Sozopolis and Chalki, to which the princes of Moldavia dedicated the monastery St Nicholas of Jassy.

ОТНОШЕНИЕТО НА ЦЪРКВАТА КЪМ „ЧУЖДЕНЦИТЕ“ ПРЕЗ ІV И V В.

Author(s): Zlatomira Gerdzhikova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

The kindness to the stranger is typical for all Mediterranean societies and as part of their cultures Christianity is no exception. The kindness of Christians however is somehow different. During 4th and 5th centuries the social influence of the Church and bishops significantly increased and started to affect all segments of roman society. Among the important social changes implemented during this period was the attitude towards strangers. Few bishops played an important role in this process – St Ambrose, St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom. Some of their deeds – Basil’s Basileada and Chrysostom’s relations with Goths, and standings – Ambrose’s sermon against the expulsion of foreigners from Rome, started to change social perception of foreigners and implemented changes visible even today – the establishment of hospitals and hostels.

Към биографията на епископ Иларион Ловчански

Author(s): Yordan Minchev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3-4/2016

Ilarion Lovchanski, who was elected the first Bulgarian exarch, was one of the first Bulgarians to be ordained as the Bishop first of Aksiopol and later of Lovech. In 1868 he broke decisively with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, chaired the Church-People’s Council and participated in the Epiphany Action. He is the first and last Exarchic Metropolitan of the Kyustendil Diocese, chairman of the Local Committee „Unity”, and participates in the work of the Constituent Assembly as a deputy „by rights”. The article presents new facts about the ministry of Ilarion in his capacity as a Protosingel of Metropolitan Neophit of Turnovo and as the chairman of the cathedral “St. Apostles Peter and Paul”, responsible for the parish of the newly-built temple of St. Nicolas in Tarnovo; about his ordination as the Bishop of Axiopol - the first bishop Bulgarian after Sofroniy Vrachanski; about his complicated and delicate activity as temporary administrator of the Turnovo Diocese after the Crimean War, as well as about his relations with individual Revival figures in the beginning of the church struggle of the Bulgarians.