Orthodox Church Honours the Memory of St. Clement of Ohrid

On November 25, the Orthodox Church honours the memory of St. Clement of Ohrid, the creator of the Cyrillic alphabet and one of the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

On this day, Sofia University, the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, celebrates the day of its patron saint, St. Clement of Ohrid.

As part of the tradition, the celebrations begin at the academic chapel "St. Clement of Ohrid" in the Theology Faculty, where His Eminence Metropolitan John of Varna and Veliki Preslav, spiritual advisor to the Theology Faculty, will lead a divine liturgy. Following the service, a procession will make its way to the monument of St. Clement of Ohrid.

At 11:00 a.m., the Academic Council of Sofia University, led by Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev, will lay a wreath at the monument of St. Clement of Ohrid. Flowers will also be placed at the monuments of the university's benefactors, brothers Evlogi and Hristo Georgiev, as well as the memorial plaques honouring the university's faculty and students who died during the Balkan Wars.

The academic celebration will take place in the university's main auditorium, where Prof. Georgi Valchev will address the academic community. During the event, certificates will be presented to the newly appointed professors for the period from November 25, 2023, to November 25, 2024.

Awards will also be presented, including the prestigious "Sofia University St. Clement of Ohrid Award" for scientific and research excellence in 2024, the award for the best young scholar of Sofia University from the Sofia Municipality, annual awards for the 2023/2024 academic year, and scholarships such as the Dr. Mladen Mladenov scholarship for a student from the Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty, co-awarded by Bulgarian National Television. Other scholarships include the Nadhezda Dzeneva and Bilyana Racheva scholarships, both for Journalism and Mass Communication students.

The ceremony will conclude with a musical performance by the university's early music choir, conducted by Krasimira Tsutsumanova.