Bulgarian Orthodox Old Calendar Church Officially Registered in Bulgaria

The Bulgarian Orthodox Old Style Church (BOOC) has been officially recognized as a religious denomination in Bulgaria following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Cassation. This decision overturns earlier judgments by the Sofia City Court and its appellate division, allowing BOOC to enter the religious denominations register.

With this ruling, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is no longer the sole entity legally recognized as “Orthodox” in Bulgaria. The Supreme Court found no valid grounds to assume that the registration of BOOC would infringe upon the rights of the “Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate” or its members.

In their decision, the justices acknowledged the historical significance of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, emphasizing its centuries-long role in fostering Bulgarian national identity and statehood, as well as its widespread support and institutional respect. However, they also noted that the BOOC represents a small religious community that has existed for 30 years and poses no threat to the internal structure or property of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.

The Primate of the now officially recognized Bulgarian Orthodox Old Style Church is Metropolitan Photius of Triaditza. The church’s Synod also includes Bishop Seraphim of Sozopol and Archbishop Georgi of Chisinau and Moldova, the latter serving as a temporary member. The BOOC operates 18 churches in Bulgaria, with its central cathedral, “Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos,” located in Sofia’s Bukston district. The church also oversees a nunnery in the Knyazhevo district, which is home to 60 nuns.

The BOOC’s separation from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church dates back to December 1968, following the introduction of a church calendar reform by the Synod of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. This reform adopted the so-called Revised Julian calendar, aligning fixed holidays like Christmas and Epiphany with the Gregorian calendar while retaining the Julian calendar for movable feasts like Easter. The reform was met with opposition from several prominent clergy members, including Archimandrites Seraphim (Aleksiev), Sergiy (Yazadzhiev), and Panteleimon (Staritsky), as well as Hieromonk Seraphim (Dmitrievsky), Abbess Seraphim (Liven), and the entire sisterhood of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Monastery in Knyazhevo. They argued that the reform violated the liturgical traditions and canonical statutes of Orthodox Christianity.

Efforts to formalize the Old Style Church’s legal status have been ongoing since 1989 but had been unsuccessful until this landmark court decision.

Photo: Metropolitan Photius of Triaditza, Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Style Church