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Maxim of Bulgaria

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His Holiness

Maxim
Native name
Патриарх Максим
ChurchBulgarian Orthodox Church
SeeSofia
Installed4 July 1971
Term ended6 November 2012
PredecessorKyril
SuccessorNeofit
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination1941
Consecration1956
RankPatriarch
Personal details
Born
Marin Naydenov Minkov

(1914-10-29)October 29, 1914
Oreshak, Bulgaria
DiedNovember 6, 2012(2012-11-06) (aged 98)
Sofia, Bulgaria
BuriedTroyan Monastery
Education

Patriarch Maxim (Maximus) (Bulgarian: Патриарх Максим) (born Marin Naydenov Minkov, October 29, 1914[2][full citation needed] – November 6, 2012) was the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church from 1971 until his death.[1][3]

He was born in Oreshak, the second of the two children of Nayden Minkov Rachev and Pena Bordzhukova, 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, from which he graduated in 1935 with honours. In 1942 he graduated from the Saint Clement of Ohrid State University of Sofia. 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.

April 2011

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Патриарх Максим почина (видео) [Patriarch Maxim died (video)]. 24chasa.bg (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  2. ^ novinite.com 29 October 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Patriarch Maxim, Orthodox Leader of Bulgaria, Dies at 98". The New York Times. 6 November 2012. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012.

Further reading

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Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by Patriarch of All Bulgaria
1971–2012 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
unknown
 Metropolitan of Lovech
1960–1971 		Succeeded by
unknown
Preceded by
unknown
 Titular bishop of Branit
1956–1960 		Succeeded by
unknown
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