The ancient ecclesiastical organization in the territory of present-day Bulgaria

Abstract

The author presented the development of the church organisation in what is now Bulgaria from the beginnings of Christianity to the end of antiquity. The aim of the article is to show the process of establishing bishoprics, metropolises and exarchates and to explain the relationship between the church organisation and the administrative division of the Roman Empire. The author used the historical method, relying on church sources, acts of councils, messages from Christian writers and findings of historiography. The structure of the metropolises in Philippopolis, Marcianopolis, Adrianople, Sardica and Ratiaria was discussed, and the most important bishoprics operating in today's Bulgaria were presented. The author pointed to the role of local bishops in general councils, as well as in Arian and Nestorian disputes. He paid particular attention to the changes taking place after the establishment of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the competition between Rome and Constantinople for religious supremacy over Southeastern Europe. The analysis showed that the lands of today's Bulgaria were among the best organized areas of the Church in late antiquity, and their structure had a lasting impact on the development of Christianity in this part of Europe.