The originals of the four Bulgarian constitutions and the two amendments to the Tarnovo Constitution are presented in an exhibition dedicated to the Constitution Day and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Exarch Anthim I. The Chairperson of Parliament Tsetska Tsacheva opened the exhibition on 13 April 2016. It will be open for citizens on the Open Doors Day of the National Assembly, which will be held on 16 April 2016.
The Chairperson of the National Assembly noted at the opening of the exhibition that each of the four constitutions came into life in crucial moments and epochs when a need arose to organize socio-economic relations in a new way. The Tarnovo Constitution is the fundamental law that introduces our statehood, creates government institutions, regulates the rights and freedoms, she noted. The next constitution dates back to 1947 after the end of World War II and concerns the shift in the state governance form: from monarchy to republic. The Constitution of 1971 came into life to mythologise an ideology which ended with the adoption of the effective Bulgarian Constitution of 1991. Indicative is the fact that the contemporary Constitution reproduces the most democratic decisions of the Tarnovo Constitution, pointed out Tsetska Tsacheva.
Before we had a country of our own, we had an independent Exarchate and Exarch Anthim I as the first exarch was naturally recognised and became the first Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly, noted the Chairperson of the National Assembly. Tsetska Tsacheva pointed out that Anthim I was one of the persons in Bulgarian history who had every reason to be called a spiritual leader. He is among the few politicians we define as unifiers of the nation and the celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth is an occasion to again pay tribute, reverence and respect for his personality, added the Chairperson of Parliament.
The exhibition dedicated to the Constitution Day and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Exarch Anthim I will be open for maximum number of citizens on the Open Doors Day of the National Assembly on the occasion of 16 April – the Day of the Bulgarian Constitution, announced the Chairperson of Parliament. In the words of Tsetska Tsacheva, this will enable more citizens to see the unique exhibits.

The Chairperson of Parliament expressed gratitude to the State Archives Agency, the National Church Museum of History and Archeology, the Regional Museum of History of Veliko Tarnovo and Klisura Monastery “St. Cyril and St. Methodius”.
We could call this exhibition a panorama of the Bulgarian parliamentarism, noted at the opening of the exhibition  the Chairperson of the State Archives Agency Ass. Prof. Mihail Gruev. He stated that in order to gather the documents, photos and artifacts in one place the efforts of several institutions were united.

The exhibition shows the great treasures of Bulgarian parliamentarism and Bulgarian democracy – the original of the Tarnovo Constitution, along with the chairperson’s bell of the Constituent Assembly and its two most important amendments – one related to the religious denomination of the Crown Prince and the so-called Silver Constitution of 1911, when the title of the ruler was changed from “prince” to “tsar”, stated Ass. Prof. Mihail Gruev. Here are the originals of the two constitutions of the communist era of 1947 and 1971, which are kept in the archives of the National Assembly, and the original with the signatures of the deputies from the Seventh Grand National Assembly of 1991, he added.
 

The exhibition includes 12 notice boards dedicated to the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria. In four window displays the originals of the Bulgarian constitutions are featured, including the famous “Silver Constitution”.

The bishop’s mitre and crozier of Anthim I are also among the exhibits in the exhibition. It features clerical garment, liturgical books and holy attributes, provided by Klisura Monastery. 16 notice boards trace back the life and work of Anthim I, the events related to the fight for creation of the Bulgarian exarchate and the work of the Constituent Assembly after 1879.