The sarcophagus for Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria is now at the St Sofia Basilica

The marble sarcophagus in which medieval Bulgarian Tsar Samuil’s remains will be laid to rest on 3 October arrived in the capital before noon and was placed in the St Sofia Basilica, BNR reports.

The sarcophagus was made in Velingrad and is 2.3 metres long. It is almost one metre wide and 90 centimetres high. A wooden coffin containing the remains of the Bulgarian ruler will be placed inside it.

The design of the sarcophagus was approved by Patriarch Daniil, while the decision on its form was made by the Sofia Metropolitanate.

“On Saturday, 3 October, at 12:30 p.m., I invite all our compatriots to Alexander Battenberg Square, in front of the former Royal Palace in Sofia, so that we can welcome the remains together and pay tribute to the memory of the great Bulgarian ruler, Tsar Samuil. Afterwards, we will accompany him together in procession to the St Sofia Church on his final journey,” Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on 29 September.

Tsar Samuil (also Samuel or Samoil) was the Tsar (Emperor) of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova