Bulgarian Capital Celebrates 138th Liberation Anniversary

Participants in the procession marking the 138th anniversary of the liberation of Sofia lay flowers to the monument of general Gurko. Photo: BGNES

The Bulgarian capital of Sofia celebrated on Monday the 138^th anniversary of its liberation from Ottoman rule.

Sofia was liberated on 4 January 1878 by Russian general Gurko, who headed Russian and Finnish military forces and Bulgarian voluntary units known as opalchentsi.

The liberation of Sofia was a key moment in the Russo-Turkish war (1877-1878) as it opened the way for the liberation of Plovdiv and the capture of Edirne.

The celebrations traditionally began with a supplicatory prayer service delivered by Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte in the Saint Nedelya church, the same church where a service had been held in the presence of General Gurko after the liberation.

After the prayer service, a procession laid flowers to the Monument of the Bulgarian volunteer.

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