The Postmortal Perception of the Bulgarian Parish Clergy in European Turkey according to the Obituaries in the Exarchate Newspaper “Novini” / “Vesti” / “Glas” (1890 – 1912)

Stanislava Stoytcheva

Institute for Historical Studies - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

https://doi.org/10.53656/his2025-6-2-pos

Abstract. The study is dedicated to the obituaries of the Bulgarian parish clergy from European Turkey (Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace), published in the Exarchate newspaper Novini (Vesti / Glas) during the period 1890 – 1912. These documents are virtually unknown in scholarly literature and are brought together here for the first time in a special compilation. A total of 57 obituaries published in the newspaper have been identified, referring to parish priests, deacons, municipal chairmen, and archpriest’s vicars. Among the deceased, urban priests predominate, while the share of individuals holding administrative positions is relatively small. Most of the obituaries were submitted privately by the family of the deceased, whereas Bulgarian institutions and professional organizations were only rarely involved in the funeral or the death announcement. The study outlines the main features of these documents that shape the posthumous reputation of the Bulgarian priest as a national activist and spiritual shepherd-namely, the personal characterization of the deceased and the description of the ceremonial aspects of the funeral.

Keywords: Bulgarian Exarchate, European Turkey, parish priests, obituaries, periodical press

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