Orthodoxy in Bulgaria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007) |
The Eastern Orthodox Church in Bulgaria has deep roots, dating back to the 5th and 7th centuries, when the Slavs and the Bulgars, respectively, were converted to Christianity by the Byzantine Empire. Prior to that date, Christianity had spread in the area during the Roman and early Byzantine times. After the Great Schism, the Bulgarians remained faithful to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Today, most Bulgarians (82.6%) are, at least nominally, members of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the national church. The church has 13 dioceses in Bulgaria, and another 2 in Europe and America.

