Sofia welcomes the relics of Patriarch Evtimij (Euthymius) of Tarnovo

In the metropolitan church Holy Great Martyr Marina, His Holiness Metropolitan of Sofia and Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte will welcome the relics of St Evtimij (Euthymius), Patriarch of Tarnovo, informs the Sofia Metropolitanate. The event will take place on October 20. The holy relics of the last Bulgarian Patriarch before the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman slavery (XIV century) will be exhibited for worship in the temple from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. the same day.

Saint Euthymius was born around 1327 in Tarnovo - the then capital of Bulgaria. There he built the Holy Trinity church, and then founded the Turnovo Literary School. In 1375, he was elected Patriarch of Tarnovo. A supporter of hesychasm, he fought against heresies and the decline of morals, laid the foundations of the spelling rules in the Bulgarian language. Evtimij (Euthymius) gained fame throughout the Orthodox world and many metropolitans and abbots turned to him for interpretations of theological and ecclesiastical matters. He was sentenced to death by the Ottoman authorities. Legend has it that when the executioner raised the ax over Euthymius' head, his hand went numb. Therefore was sent into exile on the island of Lemnos, where he died in 1402. Shortly thereafter, he was canonized as a saint.

Source: Stolica.bg