A Discussion on National Enlighteners' Day by Prof. Vanche Boykov

Be kind and considerate toward others.

On the occasion of the Day of the National Revival Leaders, Prof. Vanche Boykov gave a brief talk at the Church of St. Demetrius in Pancharevo on the lives of ethnic Bulgarians in the Western Outlands: the territories that Bulgaria lost following the Treaty of Neuilly and the end of World War I.

“Holiness has no nationality, no profession. Love, brotherhood, and home have no exact address, because home is togetherness; home is where we are with our loved ones, with those we love. So let us speak of the Bulgarian home, which can lie beyond borders,” said the church’s rector, Prot. Krustin Apostolov, as he opened the talk. The priest presented Prof. Boykov with a fragment of the tunic of St. King Stefan Milutin, whose feast day Sofia solemnly celebrated on October 30.

Prof. Boykov is one of the 300,000 Bulgarians who hail from the Western Outlands. He was born in the village of Dolna Lyubata, Bosilegrad. He teaches in Bulgaria and Serbia and is a longtime journalist who also hosts the Bulgarian program on Radio Niš.

The professor spoke about his native region, which is home to 42 well-preserved Orthodox churches. Among them are the famous Poganovo Monastery of “St. John the Theologian” and the Izvor Church of “Holy Trinity,” which looks just like the church in Bansko.