Iliana Iotova on St. Stephen's Day in Istanbul: Celebration of the Bulgarian Church and 155 Years of the Exarchate

27.12.2025 | Foreign policy

Vice President Iliana Iotova will participate in the celebration of the Bulgarian Church "St. Stephen" in Istanbul, where she will attend the liturgy on St. Stephen's Day and deliver a greeting. 155 years since the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate are also being commemorated. Patriarch Daniel is on a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Снимка от Roman Kubanskiy, Wikimedia Commons, под лиценз CC BY 2.5 bg

Vice President Iliana Iotova will be a guest at the temple feast of the Bulgarian church "St. Stephen" in Istanbul at the invitation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church community in Turkey, the press secretariat of the head of state announced.

The festive liturgy on St. Stephen's Day will be led by His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniel. After the liturgy, the Vice President will give a greeting.

This year marks 155 years since the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate. In November, a conference was held in Istanbul on the occasion of the anniversary.

The Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniel is on his first peaceful visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul at the invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The visit began on Christmas Day - December 25, and will end on December 28.