Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte was buried in the Church of Saint Nedelya

The mortal remains of the Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte were buried in the space in front of the "Holy Week" metropolitan church, in close proximity to the grave of the Bulgarian Exarch Joseph I, reported a BGNES reporter.

The coffin with the body of the patriarch was carried by the guards. This was done to the sound of a mourning march and the ringing of bells.

Before he was buried, the metropolitans prayed for the repose of his soul. They sing "Eternal memory!" Then the national anthem was played. The coffin of Patriarch Neophytes was laid in the grave.

The square around "Holy Sunday" is filled with hundreds of people, some of them came along with the litany procession, with which the body of the patriarch was carried from the temple-monument "St. Alexander Nevsky", and others came directly there.

Earlier this morning at 9:30 a.m., the requiem Holy Liturgy began in memory of the spiritual leader of the Bulgarian people, who left us on March 13 after a long illness.

From early dawn, many people began to gather at the St. Alexander Nevsky temple-monument.

Among the first to say goodbye to the patriarch was the former prime minister and king Simeon of Saxe-Coburg. The liturgy was also attended by President Rumen Radev, Speaker of the National Assembly Rosen Zhelyazkov, retired Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, retired Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel.

The Vicar of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan John of Varna, delivered a speech in memory of Patriarch Neophytes. "Today we are sending our Holy Father - Patriarch Neophyte on his last earthly journey. We bow to his bright personality," he said from the pulpit of St. Alexander Nevsky. Metropolitan John stated that Patriarch Neophyte was a model for all with his behavior and actions: "His instructions will be a constant corrective to our thoughts and actions."

"The only way we can thank him for everything he has done for us is to imitate him in our lives and deeds, to follow his example and principles, which he followed as our God-given spiritual father and patron saint ", called Metropolitan John.

At 11:30, the funeral service of Patriarch Neofitus began. It was headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew together with the representatives of the other local Orthodox churches.

After the funeral procession, the lithium procession began. The coffin containing the mortal remains of Patriarch Neophyte was carried by the guards and placed in a carriage. In August 1943, the mortal remains of Tsar Boris the Third the Unifier were transported from "St. Alexander Nevsky" to the Central Station, from where they went to the Rila Monastery, with the same carriage. The carriage was a howitzer gun that was later converted into a transport device. By all accounts, the late Patriarch Neophytus was also the Unifier of our Church and Nation, as was the King.

The lithium procession passed along "Rakovski" street and then turned onto "Tsar Osvoboditel" to the sounds of mourning marches. From there it continued past the Royal Palace, the Parliament and the Presidency buildings and turned to reach Holy Sunday, where there were also many people.

At the beginning of the casting procession are the first men in the state and the church. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew did not participate in the liturgical procession. Thousands of people also joined the lithium procession to say goodbye to their spiritual father. /BGNES