Bulgarian Orthodox Church observes feast of St. Euthymius of Tarnovo

On October 22, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the glorification of the holy relics of Patriarch Euthymius of Tarnovo. This feast, established by the Holy Synod during the tenure of Patriarch Neofit, serves as a call for believers to end disputes and disagreements within the church.

While the saint's individual memory is observed on January 20, the October 22 date specifically honors his relics, which are housed in a special reliquary at the Bachkovo Monastery. Annual solemn liturgies are held at the monastery to mark the occasion.

Euthymius, born around 1327 in Tarnovo, was a prominent medieval Bulgarian scholar and the last Patriarch of the Second Bulgarian Empire. He founded the Tarnovo Literary School, significantly influencing Slavic literature through his reforms in orthography and language. Following the Ottoman conquest of Tarnovo in 1393, he was imprisoned and is believed to have died in exile.