site.btaNational Assembly Chair Rashidov Attends Prayer Service at St. Stephen Church in Istanbul

A Bulgarian parliamentary delegation headed by National Assembly Chairman Vezhdi Rashidov attended Tuesday’s prayer service for health Archimandrite Charalampy at the Bulgarian Saint Stephen church in Istanbul.

Archimandrite Charalampy welcomed Rashidov, stressing that it was an honour to greet in the  blessed grounds one who, through all the days the church was being restored, had done everything in his power to live up to the honour of being a Bulgarian.

Turkish President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, to former prime minister Boyko Borissov and Rashidov as minister of culture did everything they could so that “now we can proudly say the Bulgarian church Saint Stephen at the Golden Horn is again a pearl of a church in Istanbul," he said.

To commemorate the occasion, Archimandrite Charalamby gave Rashidov a medal in honour of 130 years since the laying of the foundation stone for the Bulgarian St Stephen Church in Istanbul in the name of the church board.

In turn, Rashidov expressed his gratitude for the wonderful day and the good wishes.

The 130th anniversary of the laying of Saint Stephen’s foundation stone was marked in September this year.

The church reopened after a thorough restoration in 2018.

Rashidov and the parliamentary delegation he leads are on an official visit to Turkiye.