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id="toc-Demographics-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Census_statistics,_1887–2021" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Census_statistics,_1887–2021"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Census statistics, 1887–2021</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Census_statistics,_1887–2021-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Line_chart_of_the_trends,_1887–2021" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Line_chart_of_the_trends,_1887–2021"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Line chart of the trends, 1887–2021</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Line_chart_of_the_trends,_1887–2021-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Religion_by_province" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Religion_by_province"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>Religion by province</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Religion_by_province-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Religion_by_ethnicity" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Religion_by_ethnicity"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.4</span> <span>Religion by ethnicity</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Religion_by_ethnicity-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-History" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#History"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>History</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-History-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle History subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-History-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-7th–14th_century_—_Pagan_and_Christian_Bulgarian_empires" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#7th–14th_century_—_Pagan_and_Christian_Bulgarian_empires"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>7th–14th century — Pagan and Christian Bulgarian empires</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-7th–14th_century_—_Pagan_and_Christian_Bulgarian_empires-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-14th–19th_century_—_Ottoman_Bulgaria" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#14th–19th_century_—_Ottoman_Bulgaria"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>14th–19th century — Ottoman Bulgaria</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-14th–19th_century_—_Ottoman_Bulgaria-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-20th_century_—_socialism,_World_War_II,_and_communism" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#20th_century_—_socialism,_World_War_II,_and_communism"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>20th century — socialism, World War II, and communism</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-20th_century_—_socialism,_World_War_II,_and_communism-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-1990–21st_century_—_contemporary_Bulgaria" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#1990–21st_century_—_contemporary_Bulgaria"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.4</span> <span>1990–21st century — contemporary Bulgaria</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-1990–21st_century_—_contemporary_Bulgaria-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Religions_and_life_stances" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Religions_and_life_stances"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Religions and life stances</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Religions_and_life_stances-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Religions and life stances subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Religions_and_life_stances-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Christianity" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Christianity"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Christianity</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Christianity-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Islam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Islam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Islam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Islam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Other_religions,_unaffiliated,_and_neither_religiously_nor_irreligiously_identified_people" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Other_religions,_unaffiliated,_and_neither_religiously_nor_irreligiously_identified_people"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.3</span> <span>Other religions, unaffiliated, and neither religiously nor irreligiously identified people</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Other_religions,_unaffiliated,_and_neither_religiously_nor_irreligiously_identified_people-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <button 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</div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Bulgaria</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 16 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-16" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">16 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7" title="الدين في بلغاريا – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="الدين في بلغاريا" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%98%CF%81%CE%B7%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%B5%CE%AF%CE%B1_%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7_%CE%92%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BB%CE%B3%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1" title="Θρησκεία στη Βουλγαρία – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Θρησκεία στη Βουλγαρία" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_en_Bulgarie" title="Religion en Bulgarie – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Religion en Bulgarie" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%BF%D6%80%D5%B8%D5%B6%D5%A8_%D4%B2%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%AC%D5%B2%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4" title="Կրոնը Բուլղարիայում – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Կրոնը Բուլղարիայում" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religija_u_Bugarskoj" title="Religija u Bugarskoj – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Religija u Bugarskoj" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religioni_in_Bulgaria" title="Religioni in Bulgaria – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Religioni in Bulgaria" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0_%D0%B2%D0%BE_%D0%91%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0" title="Религија во Бугарија – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Религија во Бугарија" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religia_w_Bu%C5%82garii" title="Religia w Bułgarii – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Religia w Bułgarii" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religia_%C3%AEn_Bulgaria" title="Religia în Bulgaria – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Religia în Bulgaria" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8" title="Религия в Болгарии – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Религия в Болгарии" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sq mw-list-item"><a href="https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feja_n%C3%AB_Bullgari" title="Feja në Bullgari – Albanian" lang="sq" hreflang="sq" data-title="Feja në Bullgari" data-language-autonym="Shqip" data-language-local-name="Albanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Shqip</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Bulgaria" title="Religion in Bulgaria – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Religion in Bulgaria" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0_%D1%83_%D0%91%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%98" title="Религија у Бугарској – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Религија у Бугарској" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaristan%27da_din" title="Bulgaristan'da din – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Bulgaristan'da din" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%96%D0%B3%D1%96%D1%8F_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%96%D1%97" title="Релігія в Болгарії – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Релігія в Болгарії" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%DB%81_%D9%85%DB%8C%DA%BA_%D9%85%D8%B0%DB%81%D8%A8" title="بلغاریہ میں مذہب – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="بلغاریہ میں مذہب" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a 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<div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <div class="PieChartTemplate thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:162px"> <div class="mw-no-invert" style="background-color:white;margin:auto;position:relative;width:160px;height:160px;overflow:hidden;border-radius:80px;border:1px solid black;transform:scaleX(-1)rotate(-90deg)"> <div style="border:solid transparent;background-color:initial;position:absolute;width:80px;line-height:0;left:0; top:0; border-width:0 160px 160px 0; border-color:Black; z-index:-1"></div><div style="border:solid transparent;background-color:initial;position:absolute;width:80px;line-height:0;left:80px; top:80px; border-width:80px 0 0 117.7164252656px; border-left-color:WhiteSmoke"></div> <div style="position:absolute;line-height:0;border-style:solid;left:0;top:0;border-width:0 160px 80px 0;border-color:WhiteSmoke"></div> <div 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border-width:57.274918641747px 55.853233519478px 0 0; border-top-color:Orchid"></div> <div style="position:absolute;line-height:0;border-style:solid;left:0;top:0;border-width:0 160px 80px 0;border-color:Orchid"></div> </div> <div class="thumbcaption"> <p>Religion in Bulgaria (2021 census)<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r981673959">.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}</style><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Orchid; color:black;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church" title="Bulgarian Orthodox Church">Bulgarian Orthodoxy</a> (62.7%)</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:DodgerBlue; color:black;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestantism</a> (1.1%)</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:DarkOrchid; color:white;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Catholicism" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholicism">Catholicism</a> (0.6%)</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Turquoise; color:black;"> </span> Other <a href="/wiki/Christians" title="Christians">Christians</a> (0.3%)</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Green; color:white;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Islam_in_Bulgaria" title="Islam in Bulgaria">Islam</a> (9.8%)</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Red; color:black;"> </span> Other religions (0.1%)</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:WhiteSmoke; color:black;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Irreligion" title="Irreligion">No religion</a> (15.9%)</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Black; color:white;"> </span> Not answered (9.5%)</div> </div> </div></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:AlexanderNevskyCathedral.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/AlexanderNevskyCathedral.jpg/220px-AlexanderNevskyCathedral.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/AlexanderNevskyCathedral.jpg/330px-AlexanderNevskyCathedral.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/AlexanderNevskyCathedral.jpg/440px-AlexanderNevskyCathedral.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2272" data-file-height="1704" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Alexander_Nevsky_Cathedral,_Sofia" class="mw-redirect" title="Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia">Alexander Nevsky Cathedral</a> in <a href="/wiki/Sofia" title="Sofia">Sofia</a> is among the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the world and the cathedral church of the <a href="/wiki/Patriarch_of_Bulgaria" class="mw-redirect" title="Patriarch of Bulgaria">Patriarch of Bulgaria</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p><b>Religion in <a href="/wiki/Bulgaria" title="Bulgaria">Bulgaria</a></b> has been dominated by <a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a> since its <a href="/wiki/Christianization_of_Bulgaria" title="Christianization of Bulgaria">adoption</a> as the <a href="/wiki/State_religion" title="State religion">state religion</a> in 864. The dominant form of the religion is <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Christianity" class="mw-redirect" title="Eastern Orthodox Christianity">Eastern Orthodox Christianity</a> within the fold of the <a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church" title="Bulgarian Orthodox Church">Bulgarian Orthodox Church</a>. During the <a href="/wiki/Ottoman_Empire" title="Ottoman Empire">Ottoman</a> rule of the <a href="/wiki/Balkans" title="Balkans">Balkans</a>, <a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a> spread to the territories of Bulgaria, and it remains a significant minority today. The <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic Church</a> has roots in the country since the <a href="/wiki/Middle_Ages" title="Middle Ages">Middle Ages</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestantism</a> arrived in the 19th century; both of them remain very small minorities. Today, a significant part of the Bulgarians are <a href="/wiki/Irreligion" title="Irreligion">not religious</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Spiritual_but_not_religious" title="Spiritual but not religious">believers who do not identify with any specific religion</a>, and Bulgaria has been the cradle of some <a href="/wiki/New_religious_movements" class="mw-redirect" title="New religious movements">new religions</a>, notably the <a href="/wiki/Neo-Theosophy" title="Neo-Theosophy">Neo-Theosophical</a> movement of <a href="/wiki/Dunovism" class="mw-redirect" title="Dunovism">Dunovism</a>. </p><p>Since the early 21st century, there has been a decline of both historic religions of Bulgaria—Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Islam. Orthodox Christianity has shrunk from 7.3m or 87% of the population in the 1992 census to 4.4m or 60% in 2011 and 4.1m or 63% in 2021, and Islam from 1.1m or 13% in 1992 to 0.6m or 10% in 2021.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Over the same timespan, Protestantism and other non-Eastern Orthodox and non-Catholic Christianities have grown from about twenty thousand or 0.3% of the population in 1992 to about eighty thousand or 1.3% in 2021, while unaffiliated people, comprising both not religious people and people who have some belief but not identifiable with any specific religion, have grown from 0.3m or 4% in 2001 to 1m or 16% in 2021.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Until the 1992 census, Bulgarians were obliged to declare the historic religious belonging of their parents and/or ancestors, while since 2001 people were allowed to declare personal affiliation or unaffiliation to any religion.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESeligman201483_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTESeligman201483-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Moreover, beginning with the 2011 census, Bulgarians were allowed to avoid giving any answer to the question about religion; 22% of the population in 2011 and 9.5% in 2021 did not answer.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>After the end of the <a href="/wiki/Socialist_state" title="Socialist state">socialist</a> and <a href="/wiki/One-party_state" title="One-party state">one-party</a> <a href="/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Bulgaria" title="People's Republic of Bulgaria">People's Republic of Bulgaria</a> (1946–1990) and the transition of the country to a <a href="/wiki/Parliamentary_republic" title="Parliamentary republic">parliamentary republic</a>, the revival of Islam was stronger than that of Eastern Orthodox Christianity,<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271Seligman201483_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271Seligman201483-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has witnessed a serious decline in its membership from 2001 onwards.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESeligman201483_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTESeligman201483-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The authority of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was undermined since the 1990s because of its collaboration with the erstwhile socialist regime,<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268Ghodsee200993_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268Ghodsee200993-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which was fully revealed with the opening of the state's secret archives in 2012, according to which eighty percent of the clergy were former members of the secret police.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDjankov2014145_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDjankov2014145-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Articles 13 of the <a href="/wiki/Constitution_of_Bulgaria" title="Constitution of Bulgaria">Constitution of Bulgaria</a> designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the traditional religion of the country, but guarantees the free exercise of any religion, that religion is separate from the state, and that it shall not be used for political aims; Article 37 affirms that the freedom of choice of different religious or irreligious views is inviolable, and the state shall safeguard the harmony between them.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Unlike former <a href="/wiki/Socialist_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia" title="Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia">Yugoslavia</a> in the 1990s, Bulgaria has not experienced any significant ethnic or religious strife, and the religious communities of the country coexist peacefully. In fact, the capital <a href="/wiki/Sofia" title="Sofia">Sofia</a> is known for its so-called "Square of Religious Tolerance", where the <a href="/wiki/St_Nedelya_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="St Nedelya Church">Church of Saint Nedelya</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Cathedral_of_St_Joseph,_Sofia" title="Cathedral of St Joseph, Sofia">Cathedral of Saint Joseph</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Banya_Bashi_Mosque" title="Banya Bashi Mosque">Banya Bashi Mosque</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Sofia_Synagogue" title="Sofia Synagogue">Sofia Synagogue</a> are located within close proximity from each other in the very centre of the city. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Demographics">Demographics</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Demographics"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Rotonda_St_Georg_Sofia_-_04.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Rotonda_St_Georg_Sofia_-_04.JPG/220px-Rotonda_St_Georg_Sofia_-_04.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Rotonda_St_Georg_Sofia_-_04.JPG/330px-Rotonda_St_Georg_Sofia_-_04.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Rotonda_St_Georg_Sofia_-_04.JPG/440px-Rotonda_St_Georg_Sofia_-_04.JPG 2x" data-file-width="4896" data-file-height="3672" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Church_of_St._George,_Sofia" class="mw-redirect" title="Church of St. George, Sofia">Church of Saint George</a> in Sofia is the oldest church in Bulgaria.</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Panevritmia_do_Babreka.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Panevritmia_do_Babreka.jpg/220px-Panevritmia_do_Babreka.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Panevritmia_do_Babreka.jpg/330px-Panevritmia_do_Babreka.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Panevritmia_do_Babreka.jpg/440px-Panevritmia_do_Babreka.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2736" /></a><figcaption>Members of the <a href="/wiki/Universal_White_Brotherhood" title="Universal White Brotherhood">Universal White Brotherhood</a>, a <a href="/wiki/Hermeticism" title="Hermeticism">Hermetic</a>/<a href="/wiki/Theosophy_(Blavatskian)" class="mw-redirect" title="Theosophy (Blavatskian)">Theosophical</a> religious organisation founded in Bulgaria itself, practising <a href="/wiki/Paneurhythmy" title="Paneurhythmy">paneurhythmy</a> at the <a href="/wiki/Seven_Rila_Lakes" title="Seven Rila Lakes">Seven Rila Lakes</a>.</figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Census_statistics,_1887–2021"><span id="Census_statistics.2C_1887.E2.80.932021"></span>Census statistics, 1887–2021</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Census statistics, 1887–2021"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <table class="wikitable"> <caption>Religious affiliations in Bulgaria, census 1887–2021<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th rowspan="2">Religion </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">1887 </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">1905 </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">1926 </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">1946 </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">1992 </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">2001 </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">2011 </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2">2021 </th></tr> <tr> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a></td> <td>2,450,073</td> <td>77.7</td> <td>3,392,140</td> <td>84.1</td> <td>4,641,257</td> <td>84.7</td> <td>5,967,992+</td> <td>84.9+</td> <td>7,350,016</td> <td>86.6</td> <td>6,638,870</td> <td>83.7</td> <td>4,487,554</td> <td>60.9</td> <td>4,219,270</td> <td>64.7 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><small>—<a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church" title="Bulgarian Orthodox Church">Bulgarian Orthodox</a></small></td> <td><small>2,424,371</small></td> <td><small>76.9</small></td> <td><small>3,344,790</small></td> <td><small>82.9</small></td> <td><small>4,568,773</small></td> <td><small>83.4</small></td> <td><small>5,967,992</small></td> <td><small>84.9</small></td> <td><small>7,274,479</small></td> <td><small>85.7</small></td> <td><small>6,552,751</small></td> <td><small>82.6</small></td> <td><small>4,374,135</small></td> <td><small>59.4</small></td> <td><small>4,091,780</small></td> <td><small>62.7</small> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><small>—<a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestant</a></small></td> <td><small>1,358</small></td> <td><small>0.04</small></td> <td><small>5,644</small></td> <td><small>0.1</small></td> <td><small>6,735</small></td> <td><small>0.1</small></td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td><small>22,067</small></td> <td><small>0,3</small></td> <td><small>42,308</small></td> <td><small>0.5</small></td> <td><small>64,476</small></td> <td><small>0.9</small></td> <td><small>69,852</small></td> <td><small>1.1</small> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><small>—<a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Roman Catholic</a></small></td> <td><small>18,505</small></td> <td><small>0.6</small></td> <td><small>29,084</small></td> <td><small>0.7</small></td> <td><small>40,347</small></td> <td><small>0.7</small></td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td><small>53,470</small></td> <td><small>0.6</small></td> <td><small>43,811</small></td> <td><small>0.6</small></td> <td><small>48,945</small></td> <td><small>0.7</small></td> <td><small>38,709</small></td> <td><small>0.6</small> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><small>—<a href="/wiki/Armenian_Apostolic_Church" title="Armenian Apostolic Church">Armenian Apostolic</a></small></td> <td><small>5,839</small></td> <td><small>0.2</small></td> <td><small>12,622</small></td> <td><small>0.3</small></td> <td><small>25,402</small></td> <td><small>0.5</small></td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td><small>9,672</small></td> <td><small>0.1</small></td> <td><small>6,500</small></td> <td><small>0.1</small></td> <td><small>1,715</small></td> <td><small>0.02</small></td> <td><small>5,002</small></td> <td><small>0.1</small> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><small>—Other Christians</small>*</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td><small>13,927</small></td> <td><small>0.2</small> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0FFD0;"><a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a></td> <td>676,215</td> <td>21.4</td> <td>603,867</td> <td>15.0</td> <td>789,269</td> <td>14.4</td> <td>938,418</td> <td>13.3</td> <td>1,111,838</td> <td>13.1</td> <td>966,978</td> <td>12.2</td> <td>577,139</td> <td>7.8</td> <td>638,708</td> <td>9.8 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0E0FF;"><a href="/wiki/Judaism" title="Judaism">Judaism</a></td> <td>24,352</td> <td>0.8</td> <td>37,656</td> <td>0.9</td> <td>46,431</td> <td>0.8</td> <td>43,335</td> <td>0.6</td> <td>2,580</td> <td>0.03</td> <td>653</td> <td>0.01</td> <td>706</td> <td>0.01</td> <td>1,736</td> <td>0.03 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#FFD0C0;">Other religions*</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>9,302</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>14,284</td> <td>0.2</td> <td>9,023</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>6,451</td> <td>0.1 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#F5F5F5;">Unaffiliated**</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>308.116</td> <td>3.9</td> <td>682,162</td> <td>9.3</td> <td>1,036,943</td> <td>15.9 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#DCDCDC;">Not answered***</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>1,606,269</td> <td>21.8</td> <td>616,681</td> <td>9.5 </td></tr> <tr> <th>Total population</th> <th colspan="2">3,154,375</th> <th colspan="2">4,035,575</th> <th colspan="2">5,478,741</th> <th colspan="2">7,029,349</th> <th colspan="2">8,487,317</th> <th colspan="2">7,928,901</th> <th colspan="2">7,364,570</th> <th colspan="2">6,519,789 </th></tr> <tr> <td colspan="17"><b>*</b><small>The category "other Christians" was distinguished from "other religions" since the census of 2021.</small><sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br /><b>**</b><small>The category "unaffiliated" comprises those who, since the census of 2001, answered either "no religion" or that they "could/would not define" their religion.</small><sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br /><b>***</b><small>Since the census of 2011, Bulgarians were allowed to avoid giving any answer to the question on religion.</small><sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Line_chart_of_the_trends,_1887–2021"><span id="Line_chart_of_the_trends.2C_1887.E2.80.932021"></span>Line chart of the trends, 1887–2021</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Line chart of the trends, 1887–2021"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Census statistics 1887–2021:<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-Notice plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-notice" role="presentation" style="width:100%;margin:0;"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/40px-Information_icon4.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/60px-Information_icon4.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/80px-Information_icon4.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="620" data-file-height="620" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text" style="text-align: left;"><div class="mbox-text-span">Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on <a href="https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T334940" class="extiw" title="phab:T334940">Phabricator</a> and on <a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Graph/Plans" class="extiw" title="mw:Extension:Graph/Plans">MediaWiki.org</a>.</div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Purple; color:white;"> </span> Bulgarian Orthodox Christianity</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:DodgerBlue; color:black;"> </span> Other Christians</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Green; color:white;"> </span> Islam</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Orange; color:black;"> </span> Judaism and other religions</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Red; color:black;"> </span> Unaffiliated</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:Black; color:white;"> </span> Not answered</div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Religion_by_province">Religion by province</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Religion by province"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <table class="wikitable sortable"> <caption>Religious affiliations in Bulgaria by province, 2021 census*<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th rowspan="2">Religion </th> <th style="text-align:center; background:#E0F0FF;" colspan="2">Christianity </th> <th style="text-align:center; background:#E0FFD0;" colspan="2">Islam </th> <th style="text-align:center; background:#FFD0C0;" colspan="2">Other religions </th> <th style="text-align:center; background:#F0E0C0;" colspan="2">Unaffiliated </th> <th style="text-align:center; background:#DCDCDC;" colspan="2">Unanswered </th></tr> <tr> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Blagoevgrad_Province" title="Blagoevgrad Province">Blagoevgrad</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">196,841</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">67.4</td> <td>52,958</td> <td>18.1</td> <td>173</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>21,736</td> <td>7.4</td> <td>20,519</td> <td>7.0 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Burgas_Province" title="Burgas Province">Burgas</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">233,008</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">61.3</td> <td>46,320</td> <td>12.2</td> <td>350</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>66,257</td> <td>17.4</td> <td>34,351</td> <td>9.0 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Dobrich_Province" title="Dobrich Province">Dobrich</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">96,386</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">64.2</td> <td>26,207</td> <td>17.5</td> <td>124</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>15,625</td> <td>10.4</td> <td>11,804</td> <td>7.9 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Gabrovo_Province" title="Gabrovo Province">Gabrovo</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">76,802</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">78.1</td> <td>4,543</td> <td>4.6</td> <td>53</td> <td>0.05</td> <td>15,243</td> <td>15.5</td> <td>1,746</td> <td>1.8 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Haskovo_Province" title="Haskovo Province">Haskovo</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">134,343</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">63.5</td> <td>27,914</td> <td>13.2</td> <td>117</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>29,028</td> <td>13.7</td> <td>20,163</td> <td>9.5 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Kardzhali_Province" title="Kardzhali Province">Kardzhali</a></td> <td>19,872</td> <td>14.1</td> <td style="background:#E0FFD0;">88,705</td> <td style="background:#E0FFD0;">62.8</td> <td>45</td> <td>0.03</td> <td>18,862</td> <td>13.4</td> <td>13,693</td> <td>9.7 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Kyustendil_Province" title="Kyustendil Province">Kyustendil</a></td> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;">96,474</td> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;">86.3</td> <td>107</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>64</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>12,315</td> <td>11.0</td> <td>2,776</td> <td>2.5 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Lovech_Province" title="Lovech Province">Lovech</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">82,468</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">70.9</td> <td>3,009</td> <td>2.6</td> <td>56</td> <td>0.05</td> <td>28,225</td> <td>24.2</td> <td>2,636</td> <td>2.3 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Montana_Province" title="Montana Province">Montana</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">88,497</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">73.8</td> <td>83</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>39</td> <td>0.03</td> <td>22,992</td> <td>19.2</td> <td>8,339</td> <td>7.0 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Pazardzhik_Province" title="Pazardzhik Province">Pazardzhik</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">149,934</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">65.2</td> <td>29,357</td> <td>12.8</td> <td>116</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>26,505</td> <td>11.5</td> <td>23,902</td> <td>10.4 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Pernik_Province" title="Pernik Province">Pernik</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">97,117</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">85.1</td> <td>165</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>80</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>14,800</td> <td>13.0</td> <td>2,000</td> <td>1.8 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Pleven_Province" title="Pleven Province">Pleven</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">165,004</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">73.0</td> <td>5,281</td> <td>2.3</td> <td>104</td> <td>0.05</td> <td>40,804</td> <td>18.0</td> <td>14,927</td> <td>6.6 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Plovdiv_Province" title="Plovdiv Province">Plovdiv</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">439,779</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">69.3</td> <td>39,851</td> <td>6.3</td> <td>678</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>95,900</td> <td>15.1</td> <td>58,289</td> <td>9.2 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Razgrad_Province" title="Razgrad Province">Razgrad</a></td> <td>34,548</td> <td>33.5</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">53,121</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">51.5</td> <td>35</td> <td>0.03</td> <td>8,862</td> <td>8.6</td> <td>6,657</td> <td>6.4 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Ruse_Province" title="Ruse Province">Ruse</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">130,955</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">67.7</td> <td>25,514</td> <td>13.2</td> <td>171</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>24,187</td> <td>12.5</td> <td>12,656</td> <td>6.5 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Shumen_Province" title="Shumen Province">Shumen</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">72,792</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">48.1</td> <td>47,752</td> <td>31.5</td> <td>82</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>18,550</td> <td>12.2</td> <td>12,289</td> <td>8.1 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Silistra_Province" title="Silistra Province">Silistra</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">45,638</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">46.7</td> <td>35,767</td> <td>36.6</td> <td>17</td> <td>0.02</td> <td>9,965</td> <td>10.2</td> <td>6,383</td> <td>6.5 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Sliven_Province" title="Sliven Province">Sliven</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">103,380</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">59.9</td> <td>11,341</td> <td>6.6</td> <td>100</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>37,453</td> <td>21.7</td> <td>20,416</td> <td>11.8 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Smolyan_Province" title="Smolyan Province">Smolyan</a></td> <td>23,079</td> <td>24.0</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">39,217</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">40.7</td> <td>68</td> <td>0.1</td> <td style="background:#F0E0C0;">33,115</td> <td style="background:#F0E0C0;">34.4</td> <td>805</td> <td>0.8 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Sofia_Province" title="Sofia Province">Sofia</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">177,956</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">76.7</td> <td>360</td> <td>0.2</td> <td>117</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>34,896</td> <td>15.0</td> <td>18,660</td> <td>8.0 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Sofia_City_Province" title="Sofia City Province">Sofia City</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">825,290</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">64.8</td> <td>9,828</td> <td>0.8</td> <td style="background:#FFD0C0;">4,388</td> <td style="background:#FFD0C0;">0.3</td> <td>218,188</td> <td>17.1</td> <td style="background:#DCDCDC;">216,596</td> <td style="background:#DCDCDC;">17.0 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Stara_Zagora_Province" title="Stara Zagora Province">Stara Zagora</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">203,134</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">68.5</td> <td>11,899</td> <td>4.0</td> <td>228</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>53,158</td> <td>17.9</td> <td>28,088</td> <td>9.5 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Targovishte_Province" title="Targovishte Province">Targovishte</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">39,836</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">40.6</td> <td>39,481</td> <td>40.2</td> <td>40</td> <td>0.04</td> <td>11,052</td> <td>11.7</td> <td>7,735</td> <td>7.9 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Varna_Province" title="Varna Province">Varna</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">290,407</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">67.2</td> <td>25,738</td> <td>6.0</td> <td>639</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>75,012</td> <td>17.4</td> <td>40,402</td> <td>9.3 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Veliko_Tarnovo_Province" title="Veliko Tarnovo Province">Veliko Tarnovo</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">149,662</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">72.2</td> <td>12,525</td> <td>6.0</td> <td>190</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>30,802</td> <td>14.9</td> <td>14,192</td> <td>6.8 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Vidin_Province" title="Vidin Province">Vidin</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">64,086</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">85.0</td> <td>51</td> <td>0.1</td> <td>26</td> <td>0.03</td> <td>9,606</td> <td>12.7</td> <td>1,639</td> <td>2.2 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Vratsa_Province" title="Vratsa Province">Vratsa</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">107,264</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">70.2</td> <td>715</td> <td>0.5</td> <td>37</td> <td>0.02</td> <td>41,991</td> <td>27.5</td> <td>2,806</td> <td>1.8 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Yambol_Province" title="Yambol Province">Yambol</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">74,718</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">68.1</td> <td>899</td> <td>0.8</td> <td>50</td> <td>0.05</td> <td>21,814</td> <td>19.9</td> <td>12,212</td> <td>11.1 </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="11"><b>*</b><br />–<small>Highlighted in each column's associated colour is the area where that column's religious or irreligious view has its relative highest percentage.</small><br /><small>–Highlighted in greenish yellow are the religions which have a relative or absolute percentage majority in each province.</small> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Religion_by_ethnicity">Religion by ethnicity</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Religion by ethnicity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <table class="wikitable"> <caption>Major ethnic groups of Bulgaria by major religions, 2021 census<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th rowspan="2">Religion </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"><a href="/wiki/Bulgarians" title="Bulgarians">Slavic Bulgarians</a> </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Turks" title="Bulgarian Turks">Turkish Bulgarians</a> </th> <th style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"><a href="/wiki/Romani_people_in_Bulgaria" title="Romani people in Bulgaria">Romani Bulgarians</a> </th></tr> <tr> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th> <th>Number </th> <th>% </th></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church" title="Bulgarian Orthodox Church">Bulgarian Orthodox Christianity</a></td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">3,980,131</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">77.8</td> <td>4,435</td> <td>0.9</td> <td>75,745</td> <td>28.4 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestantism</a></td> <td>34,152</td> <td>0.7</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>32,325</td> <td>12.1 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0F0FF;"><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Roman Catholicism</a></td> <td>33,749</td> <td>0.7</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>–</td> <td>– </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#E0FFD0;"><a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a></td> <td>107,777</td> <td>2.1</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">447,893</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">88.1</td> <td>45,817</td> <td>17.2 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#F5F5F5;">Unaffiliated</td> <td>436,652</td> <td>8.5</td> <td>28,817</td> <td>5.7</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">78,749</td> <td style="background:#F0FFC0;">29.5 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#DCDCDC;">Not answered</td> <td>526,033</td> <td>10.3</td> <td>27,233</td> <td>5.4</td> <td>34,084</td> <td>12.8 </td></tr> <tr> <th>Total population</th> <th colspan="2">5,118,494</th> <th colspan="2">508,378</th> <th colspan="2">266,720 </th></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="7th–14th_century_—_Pagan_and_Christian_Bulgarian_empires"><span id="7th.E2.80.9314th_century_.E2.80.94_Pagan_and_Christian_Bulgarian_empires"></span>7th–14th century — Pagan and Christian Bulgarian empires</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: 7th–14th century — Pagan and Christian Bulgarian empires"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Bulgarian nation emerged in the <a href="/wiki/Early_Middle_Ages" title="Early Middle Ages">Early Middle Ages</a> (7th–10th century CE) as an amalgam of ethnic elements of different origins: <a href="/wiki/Southern_Slavs" class="mw-redirect" title="Southern Slavs">Southern Slavs</a>, who populated the <a href="/wiki/Balkans" title="Balkans">Balkans</a> from the 5th century; pre-Slavic native populations, the <a href="/wiki/Thracians" title="Thracians">Thracians</a> who had been <a href="/wiki/Hellenisation" class="mw-redirect" title="Hellenisation">Hellenised</a> and <a href="/wiki/Romanisation" class="mw-redirect" title="Romanisation">Romanised</a> during the previous foreign dominations; and <a href="/wiki/Bulgars" title="Bulgars">Bulgars</a>, a <a href="/wiki/Turkic_peoples" title="Turkic peoples">Turkic</a> population who migrated from <a href="/wiki/Central_Asia" title="Central Asia">Central Asia</a> to the <a href="/wiki/Danube" title="Danube">Danube</a> region and founded the <a href="/wiki/First_Bulgarian_Empire" title="First Bulgarian Empire">First Bulgarian Empire</a> (681–1018).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="/wiki/List_of_Bulgarian_monarchs" title="List of Bulgarian monarchs">Bulgarian <i>khan</i>s</a> dominated over this heterogeneous population, whose components originally co-existed as separate communities with their own religious systems and traditions (<a href="/wiki/Slavic_paganism" title="Slavic paganism">Slavic paganism</a> the Slavs, <a href="/wiki/Thracian_paganism" class="mw-redirect" title="Thracian paganism">Thracian paganism</a> the Thracians, and <a href="/wiki/Tengrism" title="Tengrism">Tengrism</a> the Bulgars).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a> was adopted — in its <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church">Byzantine Orthodox</a> form, then still part of <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Roman Catholicism</a>, from the neighbouring <a href="/wiki/Byzantine_Empire" title="Byzantine Empire">Byzantine Empire</a> — as an ideological and ethnic homogeniser around 864 by the <i>khan</i> <a href="/wiki/Boris_I_of_Bulgaria" title="Boris I of Bulgaria">Boris-Mihail</a>; the Christianisation of Bulgaria was largely a political expedient which granted the Bulgarian <i>khan</i>s the same status as other European monarchs, but it also met considerable opposition, especially from the aristocracy and even from Boris-Mihail's son and heir to the throne, <a href="/wiki/Vladimir_of_Bulgaria" title="Vladimir of Bulgaria">Vladimir-Rasate</a>, who tried to suppress Christianity and revert to paganism as he saw the former as a tool of political yoke from Byzantium.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 870, the Christian hierarchs of Bulgaria took part in the <a href="/wiki/Fourth_Council_of_Constantinople_(Catholic_Church)" title="Fourth Council of Constantinople (Catholic Church)">Fourth Council of Constantinople</a>, and the council granted the Bulgarian Orthodox Church the status of an autonomous archbishopric under the <a href="/wiki/Patriarchate_of_Constantinople" class="mw-redirect" title="Patriarchate of Constantinople">Patriarchate of Constantinople</a>, from which it obtained its first primate, clergy and theological books.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 919, the Bulgarian <i>khan</i> <a href="/wiki/Simeon_I_of_Bulgaria" title="Simeon I of Bulgaria">Simeon</a> adopted the new title "<i><a href="/wiki/Tsar" title="Tsar">tsar</a></i> of the Bulgarians and the Romans" (<i>tsar</i> was an adapted form of the Latin title <i><a href="/wiki/Caesar" class="mw-redirect" title="Caesar">caesar</a></i>; the change reflected an ideal acquisition of the Roman imperial tradition) and heightened the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the status of <a href="/wiki/Autocephaly" title="Autocephaly">autocephalous patriarchate</a>, independent from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Sixteen years before, in 893, an ecclesiastical council decided to switch to <a href="/wiki/Old_Church_Slavonic" title="Old Church Slavonic">Old Church Slavonic</a> (Old Bulgarian) as the liturgical language, and in the meanwhile the <a href="/wiki/Cyrillic_alphabet" class="mw-redirect" title="Cyrillic alphabet">Cyrillic alphabet</a> was developed for writing the Slavic language; such changes protected the Bulgarians from Hellenisation, and ultimately would have been fundamental for the later history of part of the <a href="/wiki/Slavs" title="Slavs">Slavic peoples</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 927, the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was recognised by the Patriarchate of Constantinople.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The emerging <a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church" title="Bulgarian Orthodox Church">Bulgarian Orthodox Church</a> retained many elements of pre-Christian paganisms.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Moreover, since the 10th century Bulgarian Christianity was deeply characterised by the <a href="/wiki/Gnosticism" title="Gnosticism">Gnostic</a> doctrine of <a href="/wiki/Bogomilism" title="Bogomilism">Bogomilism</a>, developed in Bulgaria itself by the priest <a href="/wiki/Bogomil_(priest)" title="Bogomil (priest)">Bogomil</a>, as well as by the ascetic doctrine of <a href="/wiki/Hesychasm" title="Hesychasm">Hesychasm</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019194_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTENikolova2019194-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Both Bogomilism and Hesychasm were highly spiritual, mystical and meditative doctrines and practices, favouring the inner (esoteric) path to God and organised around <a href="/wiki/Monasticism" title="Monasticism">monasticism</a>, but while the former was <a href="/wiki/Dualism_in_cosmology" title="Dualism in cosmology">dualistic</a>, with an accentuated distinction between spirit and matter, the latter was <a href="/wiki/Monism" title="Monism">monistic</a> and spread to Bulgaria largely as a reaction to the former.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019194_8-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTENikolova2019194-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="14th–19th_century_—_Ottoman_Bulgaria"><span id="14th.E2.80.9319th_century_.E2.80.94_Ottoman_Bulgaria"></span>14th–19th century — Ottoman Bulgaria</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: 14th–19th century — Ottoman Bulgaria"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 1396, the disintegrating potentates of the <a href="/wiki/Second_Bulgarian_Empire" title="Second Bulgarian Empire">Second Bulgarian Empire</a> (1185–1396) were conquered by the <a href="/wiki/Ottoman_Empire" title="Ottoman Empire">Ottoman Empire</a>, a Turkish empire whose official religion was <a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a>, specifically <a href="/wiki/Sunnism" class="mw-redirect" title="Sunnism">Sunnism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007259_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007259-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In Ottoman Bulgaria (1396–1878), like elsewhere in the Ottoman Empire, populations were classified according to the <i><a href="/wiki/Millet_(Ottoman_Empire)" title="Millet (Ottoman Empire)">millet</a></i> (approximately "religious nation") system by religion rather than by ethnicity, and therefore Bulgarian Orthodox Christians were grouped together with Orthodox Christians of other ethnicities in the so-called <i>Rum Millet</i> ("Roman Nation"), all under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople — therefore, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church lost its autocephaly.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>When the Ottoman Muslims conquered Bulgaria they initially sought to suppress Christianity by destroying many churches and monasteries and turning other ones into <a href="/wiki/Mosque" title="Mosque">mosques</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Many Bulgarian Orthodox priests either perished or fled to other countries, while the Bulgarian Orthodox population was subjected to special taxes and obligations (the status of <i><a href="/wiki/Dhimmi" title="Dhimmi">dhimmi</a></i>), but was not forced to convert to Islam.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Forced conversion of Bulgarian Orthodox Christians to Islam was sporadic (and sometimes those who refused to convert where executed, and were later canonised as <a href="/wiki/New_Martyr" title="New Martyr">New Martyrs</a> by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church), while there were cases of spontaneous mass and individual conversions to the new rulers' religion.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Gnosticism" title="Gnosticism">Gnosticism</a> was not recognised under the new rule, so that most <a href="/wiki/Bogomilism" title="Bogomilism">Bogomils</a> converted to Islam, while most <a href="/wiki/Paulicianism" title="Paulicianism">Paulicians</a> became Roman Catholics (<a href="/wiki/Banat_Bulgarians" title="Banat Bulgarians">Banat Bulgarians</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Throughout the centuries of Ottoman Islamic rule, Bulgarian Orthodox monasteries had a significant role in continuing the traditions of Slavonic liturgy and Bulgarian literature, and therefore in the preservation of the ethno-national character of Slavic Bulgarians linked to Orthodox Christianity.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The need to persist under Ottoman domination strengthened the conservatism of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and insulated it from external influences, so that it remained untouched by the ideas of <a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestantism</a> when the <a href="/wiki/Protestant_Reformation" class="mw-redirect" title="Protestant Reformation">Protestant Reformation</a> was spreading athwart continental Europe.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> At the same time, however, this situation favoured a tendency to secularisation and conformism towards the state, so that the Orthodox Christian clergy lost spiritual and moral authority for many Bulgarians.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>With the rise to power of the Greek <a href="/wiki/Phanariots" title="Phanariots">Phanariot</a> aristocracy in Constantinople, in the late Ottoman Empire the Patriarchate of Constantinople became a tool of Grecisation of all Orthodox Christians in the empire.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Bulgarians strongly opposed such tendency: Father <a href="/wiki/Paisius_of_Hilendar" title="Paisius of Hilendar">Paisius of Hilendar</a> (1722–1773), a native Bulgarian from the south-western town of <a href="/wiki/Bansko" title="Bansko">Bansko</a>, wrote a <i>Slavo-Bulgarian History</i> in the contemporary Bulgarian vernacular as a response to the "monastic nationalism" promoted by <a href="/wiki/Monastic_community_of_Mount_Athos" title="Monastic community of Mount Athos">Mount Athos</a> in Greece, and a call for Bulgarian national awakening and freedom from the yoke of Greek language and culture.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the foregoing 17th century, Bulgarian Catholics in the western parts of Bulgaria expressed support towards the <a href="/wiki/Holy_League_(1684)" title="Holy League (1684)">Holy League</a> of 1684 of European Christian states against the Ottoman Empire, with both diplomatic ties and armed struggle; Catholic uprisings were crushed by Ottoman authorities.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Since the early 19th century, there was a decades-long struggle of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to regain autocephaly from the Patriarchate of Constantinople; in 1860 the authority of Constantinople was openly rejected and Greek bishops appointed by Constantinople were ousted from the church.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the same year, under the influence of French Catholic propaganda, a former Orthodox priest named Yosif Sokolski was re-ordained as a Catholic priest by <a href="/wiki/Pope_Pius_IX" title="Pope Pius IX">Pope Pius IX</a> and established a Bulgarian Uniate Church of the Eastern Rite in communion with the Roman Catholic Church; the experiment was short-lived, as Sokolski was soon abducted and taken to Russia while his small community dissolved.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 1870, the Ottoman <a href="/wiki/Sultan" title="Sultan">sultan</a> <a href="/wiki/Mehmed_VI" title="Mehmed VI">Mehmed VI</a> officially set up the Bulgarian Orthodox Exarchate, while the Patriarchate of Constantinople declared it schismatic and an ethno-nationalist heresy.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the late 19th century, the government of Bulgaria, which in 1878 had become an independent state once again, was very intertwined with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, so much that the then metropolitan of <a href="/wiki/Veliko_Tarnovo" title="Veliko Tarnovo">Veliko Tarnovo</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kliment_of_Tarnovo" title="Kliment of Tarnovo">Kliment</a> (1841–1901), headed two governments, albeit short-lived.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="20th_century_—_socialism,_World_War_II,_and_communism"><span id="20th_century_.E2.80.94_socialism.2C_World_War_II.2C_and_communism"></span>20th century — socialism, World War II, and communism</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: 20th century — socialism, World War II, and communism"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Beginning in the early 20th century, <a href="/wiki/Secularism" title="Secularism">secularist</a> and <a href="/wiki/Laicism" title="Laicism">laicist</a> ideas spread in Bulgaria, and the freed Bulgarian state started to disregard and sometimes restrict the autonomy and educational functions of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The role of the church in society began to be questioned by the emerging intelligentsia, and especially by <a href="/wiki/Socialism" title="Socialism">socialist</a> thinkers, most of whom were teachers and state employees or white collar workers.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There were intellectual strifes between socialists and clergymen, and the former proposed introducing lessons on socialism in schools to replace religious teaching.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> One of the earliest <a href="/wiki/Marxism" title="Marxism">Marxists</a>, <a href="/wiki/Dimitar_Blagoev" title="Dimitar Blagoev">Dimitar Blagoev</a> (1856–1924), while recognising the important role that the church had in past Bulgarian history, attacked it because, according to him, in modernity it had become "a tool of the bourgeoisie" and a network of the latter's "political clubs".<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>At the end of the <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>, in 1943, the government of Bulgaria signed an agreement with <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">National Socialist Germany</a> and began implementing the <a href="/wiki/Final_Solution" title="Final Solution">Final Solution</a> against Bulgarian <a href="/wiki/Jews" title="Jews">Jews</a> — their deportation to death camps.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church clarified that the church did not share the racist ideology and called for a humane treatment of Jews.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On 9 September 1944, a <i><a href="/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat" title="Coup d'état">coup d'état</a></i> brought to power the <a href="/wiki/Fatherland_Front_(Bulgaria)" title="Fatherland Front (Bulgaria)">Fatherland Front</a>, a coalition of <a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Communist_Party" title="Bulgarian Communist Party">communists</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Agrarian_National_Union" title="Bulgarian Agrarian National Union">agrarians</a> and other political parties.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Over the next four years, the communists, sponsored by the <a href="/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a>, ousted and banned all opposition parties, took full power and undertook a transformation of society according to the <a href="/wiki/Stalinism" title="Stalinism">Stalinist</a> model.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Ostensibly, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was granted a foremost status, and in 1945, under the pressure of Moscow and alongside the establishment of the <a href="/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Bulgaria" title="People's Republic of Bulgaria">People's Republic of Bulgaria</a> (1945–1990), the Patriarchate of Constantinople recognised the church's autocephaly, and the metropolitan of <a href="/wiki/Sofia" title="Sofia">Sofia</a> was elected as Exarch <a href="/wiki/Stefan_I_of_Bulgaria" title="Stefan I of Bulgaria">Stefan I</a> (1878–1957), whom, however, within three years was deposed and exiled for being not well disposed towards ecumenism and Soviet authorities.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 1950, the Holy Synod of the church adopted a new constitution which turned the church from an exarchate of Constantinople into a patriarchate of its own; <a href="/wiki/Cyril_of_Bulgaria" title="Cyril of Bulgaria">Kiril</a> (1901–1971) was elected as the first Patriarch of the fully restored auctocephalous church, which he remained until his death in 1971, when <a href="/wiki/Maxim_of_Bulgaria" title="Maxim of Bulgaria">Maxim</a> (1914–2012) was elected as his successor.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>At the same time, during the period of full implementation of Stalinism, religiosity was in fact restricted, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church became a tool of the interests of the communists in domestic and foreign politics.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> After the establishment of the communist republic, a number of Orthodox Christian priests were arrested and tried by "people's courts"; some of them were condemned to life imprisoned or to death.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Also some Catholic priests and Protestant pastors were accused of espionage for foreign powers and other political crimes.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> From 1945, only civil marriage was recognised by the state, religious activities were banned in the armed forces, so were prayers and religion classes in schools, while all restrictions on atheism and free thinking were removed.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Georgi_Dimitrov" title="Georgi Dimitrov">Georgi Dimitrov</a>'s Constitution of 1947, which followed Stalin's Constitution of the Soviet Union of 1936, proclaimed freedom of religion and worship and the separation of religion and state; <a href="/wiki/Todor_Zhivkov" title="Todor Zhivkov">Todor Zhivkov</a>'s Constitution of 1971 declared freedom of both religious rites and antireligious activities, and the principles of both constitutions were reinforced with a 1949 Law on Religious Denominations.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The law blandly proclaimed atheism as the dominant view supported by the state.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In general, communist Bulgaria, while taking the Soviet Union as a model, never imitated <a href="/wiki/Bolshevism" title="Bolshevism">Bolshevik</a> extreme methods of forbidding religion completely and destroying places of worship.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Georgi Dimitrov, who was communist leader from 1946 to 1949 and was born in a Protestant family, in a 1946 speech on the occasion of the thousandth anniversary of <a href="/wiki/John_of_Rila" title="John of Rila">John of Rila</a>, the patron saint of Bulgaria, praised the Orthodox Church for its historical role and for preserving national identity and culture.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Islam and the Turkicised minority of the population who practised it faced a worse treatment than Christianity under communism; in the 1970s and 1980s mosques were closed and Islamic religious practice was restricted, the properties of Islamic charities (<i><a href="/wiki/Waqf" title="Waqf">waqf</a></i>) were confiscated, Islamic <a href="/wiki/Imam" title="Imam">imams</a> were persecuted, traditional <a href="/wiki/Islamic_name" class="mw-redirect" title="Islamic name">Islamic names</a> were forbidden and forcibly changed to Bulgarian ones, and severe restrictions were placed on Turkish language, so that many Bulgarian Muslims left the country for <a href="/wiki/Turkey" title="Turkey">Turkey</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="1990–21st_century_—_contemporary_Bulgaria"><span id="1990.E2.80.9321st_century_.E2.80.94_contemporary_Bulgaria"></span>1990–21st century — contemporary Bulgaria</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: 1990–21st century — contemporary Bulgaria"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>After the end of the communist rule in Bulgaria in 1990, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church had the opportunity to recover from spiritual and institutional stagnation.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, already weakened, it experienced serious problems both within itself and in its relationship with society: its ecclesiastical hierarchy did not renew itself after communism and therefore was seen as a continuation of the communist bureaucracy, and within society heated debates broke out about its involvement with the erstwhile regime; moreover, in 1992 part of the clergy claimed that the election of Patriarch Maxim was invalid as he was in fact installed by the communists.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The clergy thus divided itself into two factions: the Holy Synod led by Maxim, and another synod headed by Pimen of Nevrokop, whom in 1996 was elected by a schismatic council as a rival Patriarch.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Islam recovered better than the Bulgarian Orthodox Church after the communist period, because the harsher persecutions to which Muslims were subjected ultimately strengthened their faith, so that in contemporary Bulgaria the activities of Muslims have become more visible and pronounced, politically active, and Islamic organisations have multiplied.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The repatriation of those Bulgarian Muslims who had fled communist Bulgaria for Turkey also reinvigorated the Muslim population.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Today, Bulgarian Muslims are ethnically and religiously diversified: they comprise <a href="/wiki/Muslim_Bulgarians" class="mw-redirect" title="Muslim Bulgarians">Muslim Bulgarians</a> or <a href="/wiki/Pomaks" title="Pomaks">Pomaks</a>, <a href="/wiki/Turkish_people" title="Turkish people">Turks</a>, <a href="/wiki/Romanies" class="mw-redirect" title="Romanies">Romanies</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tatars" title="Tatars">Tatars</a>, under the denominations of <a href="/wiki/Sunnism" class="mw-redirect" title="Sunnism">Sunnism</a>, the majority, and <a href="/wiki/Shiism" class="mw-redirect" title="Shiism">Shiism</a>, a minority with a strong <a href="/wiki/Sufism" title="Sufism">Sufi</a> tradition.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The transformation of Bulgarian society after the fall of communism has also led to the spread of <a href="/wiki/Eastern_religions" title="Eastern religions">Eastern religions</a>, various <a href="/wiki/New_religious_movements" class="mw-redirect" title="New religious movements">new religious movements</a>, the newest denominations of Protestantism, and <a href="/wiki/Restorationism" title="Restorationism">Restorationism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272–273_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272–273-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A new religious movement indigenous to Bulgaria is <a href="/wiki/Dunovism" class="mw-redirect" title="Dunovism">Dunovism</a>, a form of <a href="/wiki/Neo-Theosophy" title="Neo-Theosophy">Neo-Theosophy</a> also known as the Universal White Brotherhood, which was founded in the early 20th century by the spiritual teacher <a href="/wiki/Peter_Deunov" title="Peter Deunov">Peter Deunov</a> (1864–1944) and has undergone a great revival in its home country and an international propagation since the 1990s.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The late 20th and early 21st century have also seen the appearance of <a href="/wiki/Neopagan" class="mw-redirect" title="Neopagan">Neopagan</a> religious movements in Bulgaria, including <a href="/wiki/Slavic_Rodnovery" class="mw-redirect" title="Slavic Rodnovery">Slavic Rodnovery</a> (often with elements of <a href="/wiki/Tengrism" title="Tengrism">Turco-Mongol Tengrism</a>), <a href="/wiki/Celtic_Druidry" class="mw-redirect" title="Celtic Druidry">Celtic Druidry</a>, and Thracian <a href="/wiki/Hellenism_(religion)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hellenism (religion)">Hellenism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013195–212_18-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013195–212-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> According to the scholar Antoaneta Nikolova, Bulgarian society has been particularly well receptive to the spread of teachings from Eastern religions because of both the traditional mystical and esoteric character of Bulgarian Orthodox Christianity and the influence of Dunovism, the latter of which also directly incorporated Eastern elements.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019193–194,_197–200_19-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTENikolova2019193–194,_197–200-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Additionally, during the communist period, the daughter of the leader Todor Zhivkov, <a href="/wiki/Lyudmila_Zhivkova" title="Lyudmila Zhivkova">Lyudmila Zhivkova</a> (1942-1981), developed a strong interest in Eastern teachings and Russian <a href="/wiki/Roerichism" title="Roerichism">Roerichism</a> - itself, like Dunovism, being a Neo-Theosophical movement incorporating Eastern elements -, and popularised them in Bulgaria.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019201–202_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTENikolova2019201–202-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Religions_and_life_stances">Religions and life stances</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Religions and life stances"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Christianity">Christianity</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Christianity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_(%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_%28%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%29.jpg/220px-%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_%28%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_%28%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%29.jpg/330px-%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_%28%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_%28%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%29.jpg/440px-%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80_%28%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2816" data-file-height="2112" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Dormition_of_the_Mother_of_God_Cathedral,_Varna" title="Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral, Varna">Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God</a> in <a href="/wiki/Varna,_Bulgaria" title="Varna, Bulgaria">Varna</a>.</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Catholic_cathedral_Sofia.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/21/Catholic_cathedral_Sofia.jpg/220px-Catholic_cathedral_Sofia.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/21/Catholic_cathedral_Sofia.jpg/330px-Catholic_cathedral_Sofia.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/21/Catholic_cathedral_Sofia.jpg/440px-Catholic_cathedral_Sofia.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3488" data-file-height="2616" /></a><figcaption>Catholic <a href="/wiki/Cathedral_of_St_Joseph,_Sofia" title="Cathedral of St Joseph, Sofia">Cathedral of Saint Joseph</a> in Sofia.</figcaption></figure> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy_in_Bulgaria" title="Eastern Orthodoxy in Bulgaria">Eastern Orthodoxy in Bulgaria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Protestantism_in_Bulgaria" title="Protestantism in Bulgaria">Protestantism in Bulgaria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Catholicism_in_Bulgaria" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholicism in Bulgaria">Catholicism in Bulgaria</a>, and <a href="/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Bulgaria" title="The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bulgaria">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bulgaria</a></div> <p>According to the official census of the year 2021, <a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a> was the dominant religion of Bulgaria adhered to by 64.7% of the population.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Almost all Christians in Bulgaria are <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church">Eastern Orthodox</a>, incorporated by the <a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church" title="Bulgarian Orthodox Church">Bulgarian Orthodox Church</a>, which was the religious belonging of 62.7% of the population in 2021.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Eastern Orthodox Christianity is declared as being the "traditional religion" of Bulgaria in the country's constitution.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In Bulgaria there are also <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholics</a>, <a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestants</a>, and a small community of <a href="/wiki/Armenians" title="Armenians">Armenians</a>, followers of the <a href="/wiki/Armenian_Apostolic_Church" title="Armenian Apostolic Church">Armenian Apostolic Church</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>However, Christianity has been on the decline since the early 1990s, the number of Bulgarian Christians having decreased in both absolute number and percentage from around 7,3 million or 86.6% of the population in the census of 1992 to 4,2 million, or the aforementioned 64.7%, in 2021; most of the decline has been in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (from 7,2 million or 85.7% in 1992, to 4,1 million or the aforementioned 62.7% in 2021).<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Armenian Apostolics have also decreased; they were a few tens of thousands in the 1920s and are about five thousand today.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On the other hand, over the same period the number of believers in other small Christian denominations present in the country has been stable or has increased moderately: Catholics have remained between forty and fifty thousand or 0.6% of the population, while Protestants and other non-Catholic and non-Orthodox Christians have grown from twenty thousand believers or 0.3% in 1992 to around eighty thousand or 1.3% in 2021.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Protestantism in Bulgaria is represented by two different streams: older denominations that were established in the country in the 20th century, the most stable of which are <a href="/wiki/Methodism" title="Methodism">Methodism</a>, <a href="/wiki/Congregationalism" title="Congregationalism">Congregationalism</a> and <a href="/wiki/Baptist_Christianity" class="mw-redirect" title="Baptist Christianity">Baptist Christianity</a>, and newer denominations including <a href="/wiki/Pentecostalism" title="Pentecostalism">Pentecostalism</a> and small independent churches, and <a href="/wiki/Restorationism" title="Restorationism">Restorationism</a>, which includes <a href="/wiki/Mormonism" title="Mormonism">Mormonism</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses" title="Jehovah's Witnesses">Jehovah's Witnesses</a> and <a href="/wiki/Unificationism" class="mw-redirect" title="Unificationism">Unificationism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272–273_17-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272–273-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Half of the Protestants in Bulgaria are <a href="/wiki/Bulgarians" title="Bulgarians">Slavic Bulgarians</a>, while the other half are <a href="/wiki/Romani_Bulgarians" class="mw-redirect" title="Romani Bulgarians">Romani Bulgarians</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Islam">Islam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Islam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mezquita_Ahmet_Bey,_Razgrad,_Bulgaria,_2016-05-27,_DD_31.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Mezquita_Ahmet_Bey%2C_Razgrad%2C_Bulgaria%2C_2016-05-27%2C_DD_31.jpg/220px-Mezquita_Ahmet_Bey%2C_Razgrad%2C_Bulgaria%2C_2016-05-27%2C_DD_31.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="178" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Mezquita_Ahmet_Bey%2C_Razgrad%2C_Bulgaria%2C_2016-05-27%2C_DD_31.jpg/330px-Mezquita_Ahmet_Bey%2C_Razgrad%2C_Bulgaria%2C_2016-05-27%2C_DD_31.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Mezquita_Ahmet_Bey%2C_Razgrad%2C_Bulgaria%2C_2016-05-27%2C_DD_31.jpg/440px-Mezquita_Ahmet_Bey%2C_Razgrad%2C_Bulgaria%2C_2016-05-27%2C_DD_31.jpg 2x" data-file-width="6207" data-file-height="5022" /></a><figcaption>Ahmet Bey Mosque in <a href="/wiki/Razgrad" title="Razgrad">Razgrad</a>.</figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Islam_in_Bulgaria" title="Islam in Bulgaria">Islam in Bulgaria</a></div> <p>Islam is the second largest religion in Bulgaria, adhered to by 9.8% of the population, or about six hundred thousand people, according to the census of 2021.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Bulgarian Muslim community is ethnically diversified, comprising <a href="/wiki/Muslim_Bulgarians" class="mw-redirect" title="Muslim Bulgarians">Muslim Bulgarians</a> or <a href="/wiki/Pomaks" title="Pomaks">Pomaks</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Turkish_people" title="Turkish people">Turkish</a>, <a href="/wiki/Romani_people" title="Romani people">Romani</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tatars" title="Tatars">Tatar</a> Muslims.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> These ethnic groups are also divided along the different Islamic currents they follow: a majority of them adhere to <a href="/wiki/Sunnism" class="mw-redirect" title="Sunnism">Sunnism</a>, while a minority adhere to <a href="/wiki/Shiism" class="mw-redirect" title="Shiism">Shiism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Bulgarian Shiites are also known in the country as <i>Aliani</i> or <i><a href="/wiki/Qizilbash" title="Qizilbash">Kazilbash</a></i>, which means "Red Heads" and refers to their distinguishing traditional red headgears with twelve stripes representing the <a href="/wiki/Twelve_Imams" title="Twelve Imams">Twelve Imams</a> of <a href="/wiki/Twelverism" class="mw-redirect" title="Twelverism">Twelverism</a>, the largest form of Shiism.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Most of the <i>Kazilbash</i> are found in the northeastern part of Bulgaria; their religion spread to the area between the 15th and the 17th century in association with <a href="/wiki/Sufism" title="Sufism">Sufi</a> orders.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <i>Kazilbash</i> have historically been considered heterodox or heretical by the Sunnis, and therefore they have often hidden their religious identity.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Other_religions,_unaffiliated,_and_neither_religiously_nor_irreligiously_identified_people"><span id="Other_religions.2C_unaffiliated.2C_and_neither_religiously_nor_irreligiously_identified_people"></span>Other religions, unaffiliated, and neither religiously nor irreligiously identified people</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Other religions, unaffiliated, and neither religiously nor irreligiously identified people"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Varna_Ashkenazi_Synagogue.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Varna_Ashkenazi_Synagogue.jpg/220px-Varna_Ashkenazi_Synagogue.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Varna_Ashkenazi_Synagogue.jpg/330px-Varna_Ashkenazi_Synagogue.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Varna_Ashkenazi_Synagogue.jpg/440px-Varna_Ashkenazi_Synagogue.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4288" data-file-height="3216" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews" title="Ashkenazi Jews">Ashkenazi</a> synagogue in Varna.</figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Bulgaria" title="History of the Jews in Bulgaria">History of the Jews in Bulgaria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Irreligion_in_Bulgaria" title="Irreligion in Bulgaria">Irreligion in Bulgaria</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Dunovism" class="mw-redirect" title="Dunovism">Dunovism</a></div> <p>According to the census of 2021, there were minorities of <a href="/wiki/Judaism" title="Judaism">religious Jews</a> (1,736) and other religions (6,451) within the country.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> At the same time, around 1 million Bulgarians, or 15.9% of the population, did not declare a religious affiliation; among these, 305,102 or 4.7% declared to have <a href="/wiki/Irreligious" class="mw-redirect" title="Irreligious">no religion</a> at all, 472,606 or 7,2% responded that they could/would not define a religious affiliation, which does not necessarily imply <a href="/wiki/Atheism" title="Atheism">atheism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> An additional 9.5% or 616,681 people chose not to respond to the census' question on religion.<sup id="cite_ref-Census_1-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Census-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Since the 1990s, Bulgarian society has witnessed the spread of <a href="/wiki/Eastern_religions" title="Eastern religions">Eastern religions</a> and <a href="/wiki/New_religious_movements" class="mw-redirect" title="New religious movements">new religious movements</a>, including <a href="/wiki/Krishnaism" title="Krishnaism">Krishnaism</a>, <i><a href="/wiki/Yoga" title="Yoga">yoga</a></i> schools and the <a href="/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith" title="Baháʼí Faith">Baháʼí Faith</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A peculiar new religious movement that is indigenous to Bulgaria itself and has experienced a strong revival since the 1990s is <a href="/wiki/Dunovism" class="mw-redirect" title="Dunovism">Dunovism</a>, also known by its collective name, the Universal White Brotherhood, founded in the early 20th century by <a href="/wiki/Peter_Deunov" title="Peter Deunov">Peter Deunov</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is a <a href="/wiki/Neo-Theosophy" title="Neo-Theosophy">Neo-Theosophical</a> religion whose doctrine blends ideas from Eastern religions, <a href="/wiki/Bogomilism" title="Bogomilism">Bogomilism</a> and broader <a href="/wiki/Gnosticism" title="Gnosticism">Gnosticism</a>, teaching that God is a mystical intuition, and is found in the connection of fraternal love between all souls and the condition for the spiritual development of all persons.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Intertwined with the <a href="/wiki/Esperanto" title="Esperanto">Esperanto</a> movement, <a href="/wiki/Environmentalism" title="Environmentalism">environmentalism</a> and <a href="/wiki/Vegetarianism" title="Vegetarianism">vegetarianism</a>, it has been spread internationally beyond Bulgaria, to broader <a href="/wiki/Europe" title="Europe">Europe</a>, <a href="/wiki/South_America" title="South America">South America</a>, <a href="/wiki/North_America" title="North America">North America</a> and <a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a>, primarily by Bulgarian emigrants.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The doctrine of the movement also holds that the <a href="/wiki/Slavs" title="Slavs">Slavs</a> in general have to play a special historical mission in the world.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Slavic_Rodnovery" class="mw-redirect" title="Slavic Rodnovery">Slavic Rodnovery</a> (often with <a href="/wiki/Tengrism" title="Tengrism">Turko-Mongol Tengrist</a> elements), <a href="/wiki/Celtic_Druidry" class="mw-redirect" title="Celtic Druidry">Celtic Druidry</a>, and Thracian <a href="/wiki/Hellenism_(religion)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hellenism (religion)">Hellenism</a> are <a href="/wiki/Neopagan" class="mw-redirect" title="Neopagan">Neopagan</a> movements present in Bulgaria.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013195–212_18-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013195–212-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As of 2013, the number and influence of Slavic Rodnovers were small.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013204_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013204-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During the 1990s and 2000s, a number of Rodnover groups were established in Bulgaria, including the Dulo Alliance and the Bulgarian Horde 1938.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206–207_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206–207-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some Bulgarian Rodnovers identify themselves as descendants of the Turkic <a href="/wiki/Bulgars" title="Bulgars">Bulgars</a> and therefore lean towards the Central Asian shamanic type of Rodnovery, influenced by the ancient Turko-Mongol religion, Tengrism; these Rodnovers are represented by the Tangra Warriors Movement (<a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_language" title="Bulgarian language">Bulgarian</a>: <span lang="bg">Движение "Воини на Тангра"</span>).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206–207_24-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206–207-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Rodnover groups in Bulgaria have been described as having strong political orientation, being highly nationalistic, anti-Western, and anti-Semitic.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206_25-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Rodnover personalities and groups played a prominent role in the establishment of the far-right organisation <i>Ongal</i> in 2002.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013207–208_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013207–208-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/45px-Commons-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/59px-Commons-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="1376" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikimedia Commons has media related to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Religion_in_Bulgaria" class="extiw" title="commons:Category:Religion in Bulgaria">Religion in Bulgaria</a></span>.</div></div> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Citations">Citations</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Citations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-Census-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-9"><sup><i><b>j</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-10"><sup><i><b>k</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-11"><sup><i><b>l</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-12"><sup><i><b>m</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-13"><sup><i><b>n</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-14"><sup><i><b>o</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-15"><sup><i><b>p</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-16"><sup><i><b>q</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-17"><sup><i><b>r</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-18"><sup><i><b>s</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-19"><sup><i><b>t</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-20"><sup><i><b>u</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Census_1-21"><sup><i><b>v</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Official census data provided by the <a href="/wiki/National_Statistical_Institute_(Bulgaria)" title="National Statistical Institute (Bulgaria)">National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria</a>: <ul><li><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://fpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Bulgaria-Table-2.png">"Religious demography in the censuses of 1887, 1905, 1926, 1946, 1992, 2001 and 2011"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220618024142/https://fpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Bulgaria-Table-2.png">Archived</a> from the original on 18 June 2022.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Religious+demography+in+the+censuses+of+1887%2C+1905%2C+1926%2C+1946%2C+1992%2C+2001+and+2011&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Ffpc.org.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F07%2FBulgaria-Table-2.png&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nsi.bg/Census_e/Census_e.htm">"2001 Census: Population by districts and religious groups"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170223092046/http://www.nsi.bg/Census_e/Census_e.htm">Archived</a> from the original on 23 February 2017.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=2001+Census%3A+Population+by+districts+and+religious+groups&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsi.bg%2FCensus_e%2FCensus_e.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R10.aspx">"Преброяване 2011: Население по местоживеене, възраст и вероизповедание"</a> [2011 Census: Population by place of residence, age and religion]. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180303153448/http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R10.aspx">Archived</a> from the original on 3 March 2018.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%8F%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5+2011%3A+%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5+%D0%BF%D0%BE+%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%2C+%D0%B2%D1%8A%D0%B7%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82+%D0%B8+%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fcensusresults.nsi.bg%2FCensus%2FReports%2F2%2F2%2FR10.aspx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021_ethnos.pdf">"Преброяване 2021: Етнокултурна характеристика на населението"</a> [2021 Census: Ethnocultural characteristics of the population] <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20221124195716/https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021_ethnos.pdf">Archived</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> from the original on 24 November 2022.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%8F%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5+2021%3A+%D0%95%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0+%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BE&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fnsi.bg%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Ffiles%2Fpressreleases%2FCensus2021_ethnos.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> </span></li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESeligman201483-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESeligman201483_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESeligman201483_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFSeligman2014">Seligman 2014</a>, p. 83.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271Seligman201483-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271Seligman201483_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 271; <a href="#CITEREFSeligman2014">Seligman 2014</a>, p. 83.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268Ghodsee200993-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268Ghodsee200993_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 268; <a href="#CITEREFGhodsee2009">Ghodsee 2009</a>, p. 93.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDjankov2014145-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDjankov2014145_5-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFDjankov2014">Djankov 2014</a>, p. 145.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.parliament.bg/en/const">"Constitution of Bulgaria"</a>. <a href="/wiki/National_Assembly_(Bulgaria)" title="National Assembly (Bulgaria)">National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20221116160731/https://www.parliament.bg/en/const">Archived</a> from the original on 16 November 2022.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Constitution+of+Bulgaria&rft.pub=National+Assembly+of+the+Republic+of+Bulgaria&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parliament.bg%2Fen%2Fconst&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007258_7-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 258.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTENikolova2019194-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019194_8-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019194_8-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFNikolova2019">Nikolova 2019</a>, p. 194.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007259-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007259_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 259.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007260_10-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 260.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007261_11-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 261.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007263_12-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 263.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007265_13-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 265.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007266_14-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 266.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007268_15-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 268.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007271_16-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 271.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272–273-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272–273_17-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272–273_17-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, pp. 272–273.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013195–212-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013195–212_18-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013195–212_18-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFDulov2013">Dulov 2013</a>, pp. 195–212.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTENikolova2019193–194,_197–200-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019193–194,_197–200_19-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFNikolova2019">Nikolova 2019</a>, pp. 193–194, 197–200.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTENikolova2019201–202-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTENikolova2019201–202_20-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFNikolova2019">Nikolova 2019</a>, pp. 201–202.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007272_21-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 272.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGenovKalkandjieva2007273_22-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007">Genov & Kalkandjieva 2007</a>, p. 273.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013204-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013204_23-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFDulov2013">Dulov 2013</a>, p. 204.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206–207-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206–207_24-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206–207_24-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFDulov2013">Dulov 2013</a>, pp. 206–207.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013206_25-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFDulov2013">Dulov 2013</a>, p. 206.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDulov2013207–208-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDulov2013207–208_26-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFDulov2013">Dulov 2013</a>, pp. 207–208.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Sources">Sources</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Bulgaria&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: Sources"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDjankov2014" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Simeon_Djankov" class="mw-redirect" title="Simeon Djankov">Djankov, Simeon</a> (2014). <i>The Great Rebirth: Lessons from the Victory of Capitalism over Communism</i>. Columbia University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780881326987" title="Special:BookSources/9780881326987"><bdi>9780881326987</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Great+Rebirth%3A+Lessons+from+the+Victory+of+Capitalism+over+Communism&rft.pub=Columbia+University+Press&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=9780881326987&rft.aulast=Djankov&rft.aufirst=Simeon&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDulov2013" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1">Dulov, Vladimir (2013). "Bulgarian Society and Diversity of Pagan and Neopagan Themes". In Aitamurto, Kaarina; Simpson, Scott (eds.). <i>Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe</i>. Durham: Acumen. pp. 195–212. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781844656622" title="Special:BookSources/9781844656622"><bdi>9781844656622</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Bulgarian+Society+and+Diversity+of+Pagan+and+Neopagan+Themes&rft.btitle=Modern+Pagan+and+Native+Faith+Movements+in+Central+and+Eastern+Europe&rft.place=Durham&rft.pages=195-212&rft.pub=Acumen&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=9781844656622&rft.aulast=Dulov&rft.aufirst=Vladimir&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGenovKalkandjieva2007" class="citation book cs1">Genov, Roumen; Kalkandjieva, Daniela (2007). "Religion and Irreligion in Bulgaria: How Religious are the Bulgarians?". In Carvalho, Joaquim (ed.). <i>Religion and Power in Europe: Conflict and Convergence</i>. Plus Publishing. pp. 257–278. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9788884924643" title="Special:BookSources/9788884924643"><bdi>9788884924643</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Religion+and+Irreligion+in+Bulgaria%3A+How+Religious+are+the+Bulgarians%3F&rft.btitle=Religion+and+Power+in+Europe%3A+Conflict+and+Convergence&rft.pages=257-278&rft.pub=Plus+Publishing&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=9788884924643&rft.aulast=Genov&rft.aufirst=Roumen&rft.au=Kalkandjieva%2C+Daniela&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGiordanoKostovaLohmann-Minka2000" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Christian_Giordano" title="Christian Giordano">Giordano, Christian</a>; Kostova, Dobrinka; Lohmann-Minka, Evelyne (2000). <i>Bulgaria: Social and Cultural Landscapes</i>. University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783727813269" title="Special:BookSources/9783727813269"><bdi>9783727813269</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Bulgaria%3A+Social+and+Cultural+Landscapes&rft.pub=University+Press&rft.date=2000&rft.isbn=9783727813269&rft.aulast=Giordano&rft.aufirst=Christian&rft.au=Kostova%2C+Dobrinka&rft.au=Lohmann-Minka%2C+Evelyne&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGhodsee2009" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Kristen_R._Ghodsee" class="mw-redirect" title="Kristen R. Ghodsee">Ghodsee, Kristen</a> (2009). <i>Muslim Lives in Eastern Europe: Gender, Ethnicity, and the Transformation of Islam in Postsocialist Bulgaria</i>. Princeton University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781400831357" title="Special:BookSources/9781400831357"><bdi>9781400831357</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Muslim+Lives+in+Eastern+Europe%3A+Gender%2C+Ethnicity%2C+and+the+Transformation+of+Islam+in+Postsocialist+Bulgaria&rft.pub=Princeton+University+Press&rft.date=2009&rft.isbn=9781400831357&rft.aulast=Ghodsee&rft.aufirst=Kristen&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNikolova2019" class="citation conference cs1">Nikolova, Antoaneta (2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220620205119/https://centerprode.com/conferences/4IeCSHSS/coas.e-conf.04.17193n.pdf"><i>Premises for the Penetration of Eastern Thought in Bulgaria</i></a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. 4th International e-Conference on Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences. Belgrade, Serbia: Center for Open Access in Science. pp. 193–204. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9788681294031" title="Special:BookSources/9788681294031"><bdi>9788681294031</bdi></a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://centerprode.com/conferences/4IeCSHSS/coas.e-conf.04.17193n.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 20 June 2022.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=conference&rft.btitle=Premises+for+the+Penetration+of+Eastern+Thought+in+Bulgaria&rft.place=Belgrade%2C+Serbia&rft.pages=193-204&rft.pub=Center+for+Open+Access+in+Science&rft.date=2019&rft.isbn=9788681294031&rft.aulast=Nikolova&rft.aufirst=Antoaneta&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fcenterprode.com%2Fconferences%2F4IeCSHSS%2Fcoas.e-conf.04.17193n.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSeligman2014" class="citation book cs1">Seligman, Adam B. (2014). <i>Religious Education and the Challenge of Pluralism</i>. Oxford University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780199359486" title="Special:BookSources/9780199359486"><bdi>9780199359486</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Religious+Education+and+the+Challenge+of+Pluralism&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=9780199359486&rft.aulast=Seligman&rft.aufirst=Adam+B.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReligion+in+Bulgaria" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline 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navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Bulgaria_topics" title="Template:Bulgaria topics"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Bulgaria_topics" title="Template talk:Bulgaria topics"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Bulgaria_topics" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Bulgaria topics"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Bulgaria_articles" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Bulgaria" title="Bulgaria">Bulgaria</a> articles</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/History_of_Bulgaria" title="History of Bulgaria">History</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Odrysian_kingdom" title="Odrysian kingdom">Odrysian kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Old_Great_Bulgaria" title="Old Great Bulgaria">Old Great Bulgaria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Bulgarian_Empire" title="First Bulgarian Empire">First Bulgarian Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Bulgarian_Empire" title="Second Bulgarian Empire">Second Bulgarian Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ottoman_Bulgaria" title="Ottoman Bulgaria">Ottoman period</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Principality_of_Bulgaria" title="Principality of Bulgaria">Principality</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Bulgaria" class="mw-redirect" title="Kingdom of Bulgaria">Tsardom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Bulgaria" title="People's Republic of Bulgaria">People's Republic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_Bulgaria_since_1990" class="mw-redirect" title="History of Bulgaria since 1990">Bulgaria since 1990</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Bulgaria" title="Geography of Bulgaria">Geography</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Balkan_Mountains" title="Balkan Mountains">Balkan Mountains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Balkans" title="Balkans">Balkan Peninsula</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Black_Sea_Coast" title="Bulgarian Black Sea Coast">Black Sea coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Bulgaria" title="List of cities and towns in Bulgaria">Cities and towns</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Bulgaria" title="List of earthquakes in Bulgaria">Earthquakes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_islands_of_Bulgaria" title="List of islands of Bulgaria">Islands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Provinces_of_Bulgaria" title="Provinces of Bulgaria">Provinces</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pirin" title="Pirin">Pirin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rila" title="Rila">Rila</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_rivers_of_Bulgaria" title="List of rivers of Bulgaria">Rivers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rhodope_Mountains" title="Rhodope Mountains">Rhodope Mountains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sredna_Gora" title="Sredna Gora">Sredna Gora</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_villages_in_Bulgaria" title="List of villages in Bulgaria">Villages</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Politics_of_Bulgaria" title="Politics of Bulgaria">Politics</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Constitution_of_Bulgaria" title="Constitution of Bulgaria">Constitution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Elections_in_Bulgaria" title="Elections in Bulgaria">Elections</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Bulgaria" title="Foreign relations of Bulgaria">Foreign relations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Government_of_Bulgaria" title="Government of Bulgaria">Government</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_rights_in_Bulgaria" title="Human rights in Bulgaria">Human rights</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Bulgaria" class="mw-redirect" title="LGBT rights in Bulgaria">LGBT</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Law_of_Bulgaria" title="Law of Bulgaria">Law</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_Bulgaria" title="Law enforcement in Bulgaria">enforcement</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Armed_Forces" title="Bulgarian Armed Forces">Armed Forces</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chief_of_the_Defence_(Bulgaria)" title="Chief of the Defence (Bulgaria)">Chief of the Defence</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Assembly_(Bulgaria)" title="National Assembly (Bulgaria)">National Assembly</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chairperson_of_the_National_Assembly_of_Bulgaria" title="Chairperson of the National Assembly of Bulgaria">Chairperson</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Bulgaria" title="List of political parties in Bulgaria">Political parties</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/President_of_Bulgaria" title="President of Bulgaria">President</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Bulgaria" title="Prime Minister of Bulgaria">Prime Minister</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Economy_of_Bulgaria" title="Economy of Bulgaria">Economy</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Agriculture_in_Bulgaria" title="Agriculture in Bulgaria">Agriculture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Statistics_about_the_economy_of_Bulgaria" class="mw-redirect" title="Statistics about the economy of Bulgaria">Economic statistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Energy_in_Bulgaria" title="Energy in Bulgaria">Energy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Industry_of_Bulgaria" title="Industry of Bulgaria">Industry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_lev" title="Bulgarian lev">Lev <span style="font-size:85%;">(currency)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_National_Bank" title="Bulgarian National Bank">National bank</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_Bulgaria" title="Science and technology in Bulgaria">Science and technology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Stock_Exchange_%E2%80%93_Sofia" class="mw-redirect" title="Bulgarian Stock Exchange – Sofia">Stock Exchange</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tourism_in_Bulgaria" title="Tourism in Bulgaria">Tourism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Transport_in_Bulgaria" title="Transport in Bulgaria">Transport</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Category:Society_of_Bulgaria" title="Category:Society of Bulgaria">Society</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Crime_in_Bulgaria" title="Crime in Bulgaria">Crime</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Education_in_Bulgaria" title="Education in Bulgaria">Education</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Health_in_Bulgaria" title="Health in Bulgaria">Health</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Languages_of_Bulgaria" title="Languages of Bulgaria">Languages</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarians" title="Bulgarians">People</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Demographics_of_Bulgaria" title="Demographics of Bulgaria">Demographics</a></li></ul></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Religion</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;padding-left:0.5em;padding-right:0.5em;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Culture_of_Bulgaria" title="Culture of Bulgaria">Culture</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Mass_media_in_Bulgaria" title="Mass media in Bulgaria">Media</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cinema_of_Bulgaria" title="Cinema of Bulgaria">Cinema</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Bulgaria" title="Coat of arms of Bulgaria">Coat of arms</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_cuisine" title="Bulgarian cuisine">Cuisine</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_wine" title="Bulgarian wine">wine</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_customs" title="Bulgarian customs">Customs</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_dances" class="mw-redirect" title="Bulgarian dances">Dances</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_language" title="Bulgarian language">Language</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_literature" title="Bulgarian literature">Literature</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Music_of_Bulgaria" title="Music of Bulgaria">Music</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Bulgaria" title="Public holidays in Bulgaria">Public holidays</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sport_in_Bulgaria" title="Sport in Bulgaria">Sports</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Bulgaria" title="List of World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria">World Heritage Sites</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2" style="font-weight:bold;"><div><div style="margin-bottom:-0.4em;"><ul><li><span class="nobold"><a href="/wiki/Outline_of_Bulgaria" title="Outline of Bulgaria">Outline</a></span></li></ul></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Bulgaria" title="Category:Bulgaria">Category</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Portal:Bulgaria" title="Portal:Bulgaria">Portal</a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Religion_in_Europe" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Religion_in_Europe" title="Template:Religion in Europe"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Religion_in_Europe" title="Template talk:Religion in Europe"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Religion_in_Europe" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Religion in Europe"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Religion_in_Europe" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Europe" title="Religion in Europe">Religion in Europe </a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Sovereign states</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Albania" title="Religion in Albania">Albania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Andorra" title="Religion in Andorra">Andorra</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Armenia" title="Religion in Armenia">Armenia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Austria" title="Religion in Austria">Austria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Azerbaijan" title="Religion in Azerbaijan">Azerbaijan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Belarus" title="Religion in Belarus">Belarus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Belgium" title="Religion in Belgium">Belgium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina" title="Religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina">Bosnia and Herzegovina</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Bulgaria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Croatia" title="Religion in Croatia">Croatia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Cyprus" title="Religion in Cyprus">Cyprus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_the_Czech_Republic" title="Religion in the Czech Republic">Czech Republic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Denmark" title="Religion in Denmark">Denmark</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Estonia" title="Religion in Estonia">Estonia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Finland" title="Religion in Finland">Finland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_France" title="Religion in France">France</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Georgia_(country)" title="Religion in Georgia (country)">Georgia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Germany" title="Religion in Germany">Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Greece" title="Religion in Greece">Greece</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Hungary" title="Religion in Hungary">Hungary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Iceland" title="Religion in Iceland">Iceland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland" title="Religion in the Republic of Ireland">Ireland</a></li> <li class="mw-empty-elt"></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Italy" title="Religion in Italy">Italy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Kazakhstan" title="Religion in Kazakhstan">Kazakhstan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Latvia" title="Religion in Latvia">Latvia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Liechtenstein" title="Religion in Liechtenstein">Liechtenstein</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Lithuania" title="Religion in Lithuania">Lithuania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Luxembourg" title="Religion in Luxembourg">Luxembourg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Malta" title="Religion in Malta">Malta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Moldova" title="Religion in Moldova">Moldova</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Monaco" class="mw-redirect" title="Religion in Monaco">Monaco</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Montenegro" title="Religion in Montenegro">Montenegro</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_the_Netherlands" title="Religion in the Netherlands">Netherlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_North_Macedonia" title="Religion in North Macedonia">North Macedonia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Norway" title="Religion in Norway">Norway</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Poland" title="Religion in Poland">Poland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Portugal" title="Religion in Portugal">Portugal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Romania" title="Religion in Romania">Romania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Russia" title="Religion in Russia">Russia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_San_Marino" title="Religion in San Marino">San Marino</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Serbia" title="Religion in Serbia">Serbia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Slovakia" title="Religion in Slovakia">Slovakia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Slovenia" title="Religion in Slovenia">Slovenia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Spain" title="Religion in Spain">Spain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Sweden" title="Religion in Sweden">Sweden</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Switzerland" title="Religion in Switzerland">Switzerland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Turkey" title="Religion in Turkey">Turkey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Ukraine" title="Religion in Ukraine">Ukraine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_Kingdom" title="Religion in the United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Vatican_City" class="mw-redirect" title="Religion in Vatican City">Vatican City</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">States with limited<br />recognition</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Abkhazia" title="Religion in Abkhazia">Abkhazia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Kosovo" title="Religion in Kosovo">Kosovo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Northern_Cyprus" title="Religion in Northern Cyprus">Northern Cyprus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_South_Ossetia" title="Religion in South Ossetia">South Ossetia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Transnistria" title="Religion in Transnistria">Transnistria</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Dependencies and<br />other entities</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_%C3%85land" class="mw-redirect" title="Religion in Åland">Åland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_the_Faroe_Islands" title="Religion in the Faroe Islands">Faroe Islands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Gibraltar" class="mw-redirect" title="Religion in Gibraltar">Gibraltar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Guernsey" class="mw-redirect" title="Religion in Guernsey">Guernsey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_the_Isle_of_Man" class="mw-redirect" title="Religion in the Isle of Man">Isle of Man</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Jersey" title="Religion in Jersey">Jersey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Svalbard" class="mw-redirect" title="Religion in Svalbard">Svalbard</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other entities</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_the_European_Union" title="Religion in the European Union">European Union</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: 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