Patriarch of All Bulgaria

Patriarch of All Bulgaria
Bishopric
orthodox
Coat of arms of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Incumbent: Patriarch Neophyte since 24 February 2013
Style	His Holiness
First incumbent	Leontius (Medieval) Cyril (Modern)
Formation	918/919 (Medieval) 1953 (Modern)
Website	bg-patriarshia.bg

The Patriarch of All Bulgaria is the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch is officially styled as Patriarch of All Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia. Patriarch Neophyte acceded to this position on 24 February 2013.

Following two decisive victories over the Byzantines at Achelous (near the present-day city of Burgas) and Katasyrtai (near Constantinople), the autonomous Bulgarian Archbishopric was proclaimed and elevated to the rank of Patriarchate at an ecclesiastical and national council held in 918 or 919. As a result of the Treaty of 927, which affirmed the Bulgarian victory in the Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 913–927, the Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized the autocephalous status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and acknowledged its patriarchal dignity. Thus, the Bulgarian Patriarchate became the fifth autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church after the patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. The seat of the Patriarchate was the new Bulgarian capital of Preslav although the Patriarch is likely to have resided in the town of Drastar (Silistra), an old Christian centre famous for its martyrs and Christian traditions.

After the fall of the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire Tarnovo to the Ottomans in 1393 and the exile of Patriarch Euthymius, the autocephalous Bulgarian Church was destroyed. The Bulgarian diocese was again subordinated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople.