Budapest’s ever-burning icon lamps — a bridge between generations

Rumyana Ivanova is a member of the church council of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius and an active member of the Bulgarian community in Hungary. It is beneath the dome of this church that the story unfolds of how children from mixed marriages in Budapest learn and preserve their mother tongue, and why many of them choose to pursue higher education at Bulgarian universities after completing their schooling. We also discover how the community is tracing the lost names of the first donors who helped build their church more than a century ago.

This is a story of a unique partnership between the church, the school, and the Cultural Centre in the Hungarian capital.It is a story about the living threads of the Bulgarian spirit beyond the country's borders, about the mission to preserve the memory of our ancestors, and about the power of the Orthodox faith to carry us through the vicissitudes of time and the transience of this world.

For decades, the Bulgarian school has connected Rumyana Ivanova’s life with Hungary. Before devoting herself to serving the church, her life journey first took her through the classroom.

“I came to Hungary in 2002 and worked as a teacher at the Bulgarian-Hungarian School. When my work there came to an end, I stayed because I am married to a Hungarian, and I continued my life here in Budapest”, said Rumyana Ivanova.

The connection between Rumyana Ivanova and the educational cause is by no means accidental. In Budapest, the school and the church have always gone hand in hand, from the very founding of the community to the present day.The predecessor of today’s Bulgarian church was a chapel housed in the Bulgarian School on Lónyay Street, where Hieromonk Boris—the founder of the Saints Cyril and Methodius church community and the future Metropolitan of Nevrokop- conducted the community’s first religious services.

“The church has always been a place that brings our community together,” Rumyana Ivanova recalls in an interview with Radio Bulgaria’s specialized podcast ''Bridge of Faith’’. “Our beautiful Cultural Centre is located right across from the church. We gather there for every celebration”, said Rumyana Ivanova.

The vibrant collaboration between the school, the church, and the Cultural Centre—the successor to the former Bulgarian community centre—is reflected in numerous joint initiatives. It can be felt in everything, from the shared joy and small gifts for the kindergarten children at Easter to the large-scale events held in the parish. A symbol of this unity is the specially built stage in the schoolyard, which every spring becomes the beating heart of the Bulgarian diaspora.

“For Easter, we welcomed the children from the kindergarten and their teachers”, Rumyana Ivanova recalls with a smile. “We gave each child a kozunak (sweet bread), a dyed Easter egg, some chocolate, and a toy. And for 24 May we put up a large stage in the schoolyard, where we hold the festivities every year. We invite all our children and their parents and grandparents, as well as fellow Bulgarians from other towns across Hungary. We all gather in this courtyard to celebrate the Day of the Holy Brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius.”

• Language, faith and memory unite Bulgarians in Budapest on May 24

Right next to the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius stands the new building, completed in 2024, which now houses the Bulgarian School. It offers a wonderful modern learning environment where children of different ages study Bulgarian language, history and literature.The building also houses the kindergarten, with all the necessary facilities, including teachers’ rooms and offices. This shared courtyard is where the everyday lives of children growing up between the sound of the school bell and the ringing of the church bell unfold.

At the height of summer, the children set off by bus for Bulgaria. These traditional annual educational trips give them a firsthand experience of the monasteries, cities, and places of historical and spiritual significance.

 “Our children travel every year”, said Rumyana Ivanova. “They take extensive trips around the country to discover Bulgarian history up close. They visit cities, villages, and monasteries so they never forget where they come from and can immerse themselves fully in our native culture.”

Thanks to the strong sense of community among Bulgarians in Hungary and the excellent organization of their educational, cultural and religious life, even children from mixed marriages speak fluent Bulgarian and maintain a strong sense of national identity.

The flourishing of modern community life is rooted in a deep historical foundation, in which honoring the ancestors is a key element. Caring for the church today goes hand in hand with the noble task of restoring the memory of its first builders, because building the future requires first knowing and cherishing the past. This year, the community faces a great historical duty:

“This year, the church celebrates its 110th anniversary. It was built with funds from the Bulgarian state, but also with the contributions of many donors. It is our duty to honor these people, who truly did something for the house of God. That is why we are now planning to have the names we have uncovered engraved on special plaques. We are still searching for the others, so that we can display their names inside or outside the church. We are doing our best to ensure that history is not forgotten.Together with our parish priest, Father Tancho, and our new chairman, Alexi Andonov, we are trying to do more for this church, which is the strongest means of bringing Bulgarians together and helping us remember our faith, culture and heritage.”

In Budapest, church life exists in a unique and harmonious partnership with the other pillars of Bulgarian identity- the Association of Bulgarians in Hungary and the National Bulgarian Self-Government. Today, they all work side by side to preserve the house of God. This shared commitment also includes preserving the memory of the first donors who helped build the church.

“That is exactly what we intend to do”, Rumyana explains. “We want the names of these people, who did so much for our parish, to be mentioned during the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Father Tancho.”

Another expression of the unbroken bond between generations is the specially arranged memorial space in the church’s northern apse, where portraits of deceased members of the Bulgarian community are displayed. For today’s parishioners who stand before these photographs, their ancestors are not merely a memory of the past, but active participants in the present.

Because church life beyond the homeland’s borders is not simply about preserving traditions, and the church is not merely a monument to times gone by, but an ever-flowing source of Living Water, faith and hope.

Read also:

• The man who keeps Bulgaria's memory alive in Hungary

• Between two worlds: how Denitsa Ürge builds a home and identity in Hungary

• Fourth generation of Bulgarian children in Hungary fill the classrooms of the Sunday school

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov