BULGARIAN  ORTHODOX  CHURCH 
REVIVED  IN  TURKEY

Re-opening the restored St. George Church in Edirne on Sunday 5 May 2004, the Bulgarian Prime Minister SIMEON SAXE-Coburg-Gotha declared:
 "Today we bring back to life a cultural and religious monument that has witnessed the troublous history of our region of Europe."

 

The renovation of the churches of "St. George" which was now completed after 7 months of work and "St. Constantine and St. Elena" still continuing was initiated by National Movement “Simeon II”  Member of Parliament Anelia Atanasova. Last year, she started raising 500,000 levs for renovation of the half-ruined churches. Singer Iliya Lukov also participated in the operation.

The Bulgarian Premier SIMEON Saxe-Coburg-Gotha took part in the service. As he was consecrated Zar of Bulgaria by Holy Chrysmation already in his boyhood he was invited in the altar. Later in the service he read the Creed, as usual.
 
In his speech after the service the Prime Minister stated: " I am happy that an Orthodox Church, the foundations of which were laid two hundred years ago, is restored and will be a symbol  not only of faith, but of the cooperation between the people of Bulgaria and Turkey, which, by God's will, live on the same crossroads !"

The St. George church had been built by patriotic Bulgarians in 1880.
Now the Bulgarian Government presented local priest Philip Chakruk with a laurel, the symbol of Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. "The 2 churches would not have survived if it were not for him, who cared for them during the last 25 years" the Bulgarians who had come to attend the service said. In the newly restored church “St. George” now ALEKSANDAR, the son of Father PHILIP, will serve as parish priest.
 
The Premier and Turkish Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan planted a silver fir and a red cedar and wished a long life to the church.

The church was re-opened by a solemn service performed by His Eminence NEOFIT, Mitropolitan of Rousse, His Excellency Bishop EVLOGI, Rector of the Theological Academy of Plovdiv and titulary Bishop of Adrianople, and clergymen from all over Bulgaria.

Some 3.000 Bulgarians - descendants of Thracian refugees, came to attend the service at the church of St. George.

The Premier was accompanied to Edirne by Minister of Culture Bozhidar Abrashev, MPs and the District Governors of Kardzhali and Yambol.

On his way to the church in Edirne, the Prime Minister visited the second biggest mosque in Europe, the Selemi mosque.
 

derived from an article of  Matey Bonev in Bulgarian Daily STANDARD