Tsar Ferdinand’s mortal remains arrived in Bulgaria (photos)

The military plane, transporting the mortal remains of Tsar Ferdinand landed at Sofia airport on May 29. It was welcomed by Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe, official envoy of the Holy Synod and the Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria, Archbishop Monsignor Luciano Suriani.

The coffin was taken down and carried by guardsmen.

The mortal remains travelled to the Vrana Palace, where they will be received by Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gothay and his family.

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The funeral ceremony will take place in front of the main entrance of Vrana Palace, after which the coffin will be placed in the central foyer, where a brief farewell in a family circle will take place. After that, the palace doors will be open to members of the public wishing to pay their last respects to the coffin of Tsar Ferdinand.

The return of Tsar Ferdinand's remains comes 76 years after the monarch's death. Until now, the remains were laid to rest in the crypt of St. Augustine Church in the German town of Coburg.

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After his death in the German town of Coburg in 1948, the body of Tsar Ferdinand I was temporarily laid to rest in the crypt of the Catholic Church of St. Augustine" in the same town.

In the year of his death, the burial of the Tsar in his second homeland, Bulgaria, was completely impossible in view of the political situation in the country and in the post-war period throughout Europe, despite his great desire and that of his relatives.

After the democratic changes, several initiative committees were set up whose efforts in this direction were not successful, despite the good intentions of their organisers.

Today's conditions of democracy and respect for history allow the remains of Tsar Ferdinand to be laid to eternal rest in the family crypt of his beloved Vrana Palace in Sofia. In this way, the necessary tribute will be paid to a long-serving head of state and commander-in-chief who, despite a number of controversial assessments of some moments of his reign, contributed much to the development and modernisation of Bulgaria.

Tsar Ferdinand’s mortal remains will be transported to Sofia

Images by BTA