Commemorative Assembly Marks 150th Anniversary of April Uprising’s Outbreak

A national commemorative assembly marking the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising convened at the Prof. Marin Drinov Hall of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) on Monday, under the patronage of President Iliana Iotova. Prior to the main event, Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil conducted a memorial service for the victims, including priests and laypeople, at Sofia’s St Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral.

The service was attended by key figures, including the caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, BAS President Evelina Slavcheva, and representatives from the political and academic communities. BAS President Evelina Slavcheva inaugurated the commemorative assembly, asserting that the April Uprising of 1876 marked the definitive start of the Bulgarian national revolution and must be recognized as such in global historiography. Slavcheva stressed the Academy’s duty, as Bulgaria’s oldest modern institution, to protect national memory.

President Iotova stated that the uprising channeled the spirit of the National Revival into statehood, will, and self-sacrifice, rather than mere despair. She noted that the “rebellious spirit” of the cause remains active today. Patriarch Daniil highlighted that the uprising fostered heroism, great deeds, and martyrdom for faith, viewing the events of April 1876 as the culmination of a spiritual and national revival guided by the Orthodox Church.

Additionally, Sofia University Rector Georgi Valchev thanked local authorities and the educational system for their involvement in the anniversary celebrations. He acknowledged the role of the media, particularly public service broadcasters like the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), for co-organizing related conferences across the former capitals of the April Uprising districts.

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