Bulgarian Church Honors Saints Vissarion Smolenski and Seraphima on July 29

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church commemorated the martyr saints Vissarion Smolenski, bishop of Smolyan, and the virgin Seraphima on 29 July. The observance recalls the violent Ottoman attempts at forced conversion (known as “pomohammedanchvane”) in the Smolyan region during the reign of Sultan Mehmed IV in July 1669.

During that persecution, Ottoman forces burned the church of St Peter and Paul, the metropolitan complex and a theological school, killed many civilians and looted valuables. Bishop Vissarion escaped with a group of Bulgarians to the village of Raykovo, where he rallied locals to resist further oppression. On the early morning of 29 July 1670, while traveling with ten armed guards, he was ambushed by a large Ottoman armed contingent, captured, bound and taken back to Smolyan where he was executed.

The commemoration highlights the historic suffering and resilience of the Bulgarian faithful during the 17th‑century Ottoman incursions.