Spiritual leaders bless Nessebar for the start of the tourist season.

Yesterday, in Nessebar, four metropolitans - Arseniy of Sliven, Nikolai of Plovdiv, Kipriyan of Stara Zagora and Panteleimon, Metropolitan of Komotini, performed a concelebrated Divine Liturgy in the millennium-old metropolitan church "St. Sophia". The event was held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the resettlement of the Greek community of Nessebar, which left the city in accordance with the Treaty of Neuilly. The service was also attended by Bishop Sioniy of Velingrad, Bishop Polikarp of Belogradchik and Bishop Vissarion of Smolyan. The high-ranking clergy blessed Nessebar and its residents for the start of the tourist season, the official announcement of which is usually around May 18. On behalf of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, a triptych was presented to Mayor Nikolai Dimitrov for his contribution to the defense of the values of Christianity and the Orthodox community. Among the special guests were Lieutenant General Yavor Mateev, Bulgarian representative to the EU Military Committee, and Nevena Miteva-Mateeva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. On the occasion of the anniversary, Mayor Dimitrov welcomed a delegation from the Greek city of Nea Mesimvria, led by the chairman of the organization of Greek emigrants from Eastern Thrace, Lefteris Margaritis. The group represents the descendants of the resettled residents of Nessebar. After the church ritual, the guests from Greece toured the ancient streets and gathered on Mesemvria Square, where the mayor and the Metropolitan of Sliven greeted them. Mayor Dimitrov stressed that the celebration of the anniversary reaffirms the close relations between the contemporaries and the descendants of the Greek community that left a century ago. According to him, today more than ever the power of the common ancestral memory, which does not fade over time, is recognized. The event was also honored with a concert by local amateur groups of the "Yana Laskova - 1905" Community Center. A tree was planted in front of the "Christ Pantocrator" church - a symbol of the age-old power of generational memory and the deep connection with the native place.