Maxim of Bulgaria
Maxim | |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia | |
 | |
| Church | Bulgarian Orthodox Church |
| See | Sofia |
| Installed | 4 July 1971 |
| Term ended | 6 November 2012 |
| Predecessor | Patriarch Kyril |
| Successor | Patriarch Neofit |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marin Naydenov Minkov October 29, 1914 |
| Died | November 6, 2012 (aged 98) Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Buried | Troyan Monastery |
| Nationality | Bulgarian |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox Church |
Patriarch Maxim (Maximus) (Bulgarian: Патриарх Максим) (Marin Naydenov Minkov, October 29, 1914[1] – November 6, 2012) was the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church from 1971 until his death.[2]
He was born in Oreshak, the second of the two children of Nayden Minkov Rachev, but very little is known about his parents' background. He was educated only in his native mountain village of Oreshak but from his late childhood he became a novice monk in the Troyan Monastery and then studied Orthodox Theology at Sofia University. He took Holy Orders in 1941 and became secretary general of the Holy Synod in 1955 and titular bishop of Branit on December 30, 1956.
In 1960, he was elected Metropolitan of Lovech on October 30, 1960, and won the election as Patriarch on July 4, 1971, after Patriarch Kyril died.
In the early 1990s, a split in the Bulgarian Church was stimulated by the government of the Union of Democratic Forces, based on the alleged cooperation and affiliation of Maxim with the former regime. However, Maxim was able to take control of the majority of the parishes and to prevent any schismatic threats within the Church. The faction against Maxim formed the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Alternative synod.
References
- ^ novinite.com 29 October 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
