Tsar Samuil’s remains placed in a marble sarcophagus in Sofia

The remains of Bulgarian Tsar Samuil were placed in a sarcophagus during a solemn ceremony at the St. Sofia Basilica in the Bulgarian capital. The memorial service was led by Patriarch Daniil.

“With reverence and filial respect, we welcome the sarcophagus containing the remains of one of the greatest and most worthy rulers of the Bulgarian people — Tsar Samuil”, Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil said during the service. At the end of his address, he called for eternal and blessed remembrance of the Bulgarian tsar.

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The sarcophagus, weighing around two and a half tons, is made of white marble quarried in the Prilep region of North Macedonia — lands that were part of Tsar Samuil’s state in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. It was crafted by a stoneworking company in Velingrad with the blessing of Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil. The sarcophagus was placed in the southern part of the church’s transept, near the altar.

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The area around the Church of St. Sofia is also home to other memorials commemorating the era of Tsar Samuil. In front of the basilica stands a monument to Tsar Samuil by sculptor Aleksandar Haytov, unveiled in 2015, while opposite it is the sculptural composition “Samuil’s Blinded Soldiers” by Lyubomir Dalchev, dating from the 1970s.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov