A thanksgiving service was held at the St. Nedelya Church to mark the 143rd anniversary of Sofia's Liberation from Ottoman rule. Belogradchik Bishop Polycarp, who led the prayer service, said there would be no liturgical procession this year, which is traditionally held after the service. "But here we will have a prayer for all the fallen warriors for the freedom of our homeland, for our faith and for the freedom of the city of Sofia," the priest said.

The mayor of the capital Yordanka Fandakova, who attended the service, thanked the ambassadors of France, Italy and Austria-Hungary, who back in 1877 helped in saving the city from being burned down to the ground, BGNES reported.