May 21, 2009

The future monument’s site of the first Bulgarian Speaker of parliament, the cleric Exarch Antim I was inaugurated on 21 May 2009 on the grounds of the church “St. St. Konstantin and Elena” in the town of Odrin. The ritual took place in the presence of members of the Bulgarian National Assembly, during a ceremony organized by the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Consulate in the town of Odrin.

The site was blessed by the Metropolitan Bishop of Vidin Domitian. The plans are to erect two identical monuments of Exarch Antim I, one in Sofia and one in the town of Odrin. The author of the monument is the artist prof. Valentin Starchev. The monument is to be ready by December 1, 2009, when the 121st anniversary of the death of the Exarch will be marked.

The head of the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria noted that the Union plans to regularly hold gatherings in the church “St. St. Konstantin and Elena”, together with the celebrations of St. George’s Day in the other Bulgarian church in the town “St. George”.

MPs Ivan Grizanov and Gori Aleksiev presented a donation made by the National Assembly - books about Bulgarian religious cultural monuments. The General Consul of Bulgaria in Odrin defined the donation as very precious and as a valuable contribution to the Bulgarian library in the town, where 20000 Bulgarians are living.