Bulgarians on Tsar Samuil’s return: This is a spiritual experience

More than a thousand years after Tsar Samuil’s death, his remains have returned to Bulgaria and been laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Sofia in the capital city. This was made possible following six decades of negotiations between Bulgaria and Greece. The event drew strong public interest, with large numbers of Bulgarians coming in person to pay their respects to the memory of Tsar Samuil.

• Thousands welcome the remains of Tsar Samuil in Sofia

• Greece hands over the remains of Tsar Samuil to Bulgaria

“I think this is a spiritual experience. As a metaphor, I would say that the past is speaking. And let us hope that it is opening doors to the future. I think this is some kind of sign for Bulgaria — that Bulgaria can live in unity and that a new period of growth can begin for Bulgaria and the Balkans from this point onward”, an emotional woman told BNR’s reporter Evelina Stoyanova.

President Iliana Iotova also spoke about the symbolism of the event. “The soul of Tsar Samuil has found its way to its homeland. I am sure that he is at peace now because he is in Bulgaria. It is as though his blinded soldiers have regained their sight to show him the way to Bulgaria and to his people”, President Iotova told the media, as quoted by BTA.

• Tsar Samuil’s remains placed in a marble sarcophagus inSofia

Historians have also emphasized Tsar Samuil’s role as a ruler during one of the most difficult periods in medieval Bulgarian history. “Samuil embodies this exceptionally resilient Bulgarian spirit and a strong sense of statesmanship. He managed to lead the state through an extremely difficult period and to do so with dignity, at the cost of many personal sacrifices, through personal example and great selflessness”, Associate Professor Albena Milanova of the Centre for Slavo-Byzantine Studies ''Prof. Ivan Duychev'' told BNT.

• The sunset and new dawn of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria

Edited by Miglena Ivanova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov