Summary: The question of the unity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church arose after the Treaty of Berlin (1878) as part of the Bulgarian national question. The fragmentation of the Bulgarian ethnic territory undermined the integrity of the exarchate diocese, which fell into countries with different international legal status. This raises the question of the unity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church ‒ the Bulgarian Exarchate. The problems of establishing ties and unity through the creation of a common Synod deepened after the declaration of the Independence of Bulgaria. In the period 1908‒1912, ways were sought to create a common supreme governing body ‒ a common Synod in Constantinople, for the participation of the hierarchs from Bulgaria in the election of an exarch, for the settlement of disputes with the Greek Patriarchate over the lifting of the schism. Disputes over these issues continued until the outbreak of the Balkan Wars (1912) without reaching a solution that met national aspirations. Bulgaria’s defeat in the wars of 1912‒1913 narrowed the borders of the Exarchate to the territories of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
Keywords: Bulgarian Exarchate, exarchate institutions, exarch, Holy Synod, schism, autocephaly, unity
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