What is tolerance for you?

Religion in Bulgaria and tolerance

Religious group Population

Bulgarian Orthodox Christians 6,552,751

Muslims 966,978

Roman Catholic Christians 43,811

Protestant Christians 42,308

Jews 8,000

Other 14,937

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church considers itself an

inseparable member of the one, holy, synodal and

apostolic church and is organized as a self-

governing body under the name of Patriarchate.

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in Europe.

• The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km south of the capital Sofia.

• Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. It is on account of this also a key tourist attraction in Bulgaria.

Dryanovo monastery

The Dryanovo Monastery is a functioning Bulgarian Orthodox monastery situated in the central part of Bulgaria five kilometers away from the town of Dryanovo. It was founded in the 12th century, during the Second Bulgarian Empire, and is dedicated to Archangel Michal.

Sokolski Monastery

The Sokolski Monastery is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery founded in 1833 and named after its founder Yosif Sokolski.

The Troyan Monastery is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria. It is located in the northern part of the country and was founded no later than the end of the 16th century.

Bachkovo Monastery

The Bachkovo Monastery in

Bulgaria is an important monument

of Christian architecture and one of

the largest Eastern Orthodox

monasteries in Europe. The

monastery is known and

appreciated for the unique

combination of Byzantine, Georgian

and Bulgarian culture, united by

the common faith.

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The Muslim population of Bulgaria, including Turks, Muslim Bulgarians, Pomaks, Roma, and Crimean Tatars, lives mainly in northeastern Bulgaria and in the Rhodope Mountains. According to the 2001 Census, the total number of Muslims in the country is 12.2% of the whole population of the country.

Bulgaria´s largest Tumbul Mosque in

Shumen•  

Banya Bashi mosque, built in 1576 by the great Ottoman architect Sinan. It is situated in the capital of Bulgaria

A mosque in

Madan in the

Rhodopes, a

region largely

populated by

Muslim

Bulgarians

Roman catholic christians

Roman Catholicism is the third largest

religious congregation in Bulgaria,

after Eastern Orthodoxy and Islam. It

has roots in the country since the

Middle Ages and is part of the

worldwide Roman Catholic Church,

under the spiritual leadership of the

Pope in Rome.

Russe

The interior of the St Paul of the Cross Roman Catholic Church in Russe

In the town of Rakovsky the main religion of the citizens is Roman Catholicism.

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Protestantism

in

Bulgaria

Protestantism was introduced in Bulgaria by missionaries from the United States in 1857-58, amid the National

Revival period.

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JEWS IN BULGARIA

The first Jews appeared in the Balkans as early as the 2nd century, after the conquest of their lands by Rome. This had been recorded on a tombstone found near the town of Nikopol by the Danube river

The Synagogue in Sofia

The synagogue in Vidin

The really large influx of Jews to the

Balkans began after 1492, when they were

driven away from Spain. At this particular

point, the Turkish sultan allowed the refugees

to settle in the Ottoman Empire, and they were

tolerantly treated both by the authorities and

by the population of the Peninsula as a whole.

These migrants now constitute 90 per cent of

the Bulgarian Jews.

Bulgaria is tolerant

to all the religious

communities that live

together in friendship