Every year, on the eve of the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian alphabet, enlightenment, culture and Slavic literature - May 24 - a Bulgarian delegation led by the President of Parliament or the Head of State is received by the Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church for an audience at the Vatican. This year, President Rumen Radev will personally lead the state delegation on May 22 and 23.

On the first day of his visit, the President will attend the presentation of the exhibition "Mount Athos in Drawings and Photographs" at the Pontifical Lateran University in the Italian capital. The President will also visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Adrian II blessed the Bulgarian alphabet in the 9th century. 

The Bulgarian letters - from the very first to the very last - are depicted in the work of artist Nikolay Deliyanev, originally from the town of Sandanski, but who has lived in Rome for almost 30 years. His sculptural work, in the form of an open book, will be presented to Pope Francis during the visit of the Bulgarian state delegation. 

"With these letters (painted on a wooden base) I wanted to convey a message, because until now there has not been such a view of the Bulgarian alphabet as "Alpha and Omega" - that is, our alphabet in its complete form, from beginning to end. If we think about it, there is always a beginning and an end, but art is boundless and creates the feeling that man's abilities are boundless" - says artist Nikolay Deliyanev in an interview with Radio Bulgaria:

"The idea came from Fr. Prof. Ivan Ivanov, who is responsible for the Bulgarian Church in Rome. As the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius is approaching, we decided to send a message of peace and cooperation between religions by creating a composition, which depicts a holy book containing the Bulgarian alphabet - the Cyrillic alphabet. This alphabet has been used to write our centuries-old history. Our centuries-old history has been written in this alphabet. Both our letters and our faith have preserved us as a people and helped to preserve our traditions."

The technique Nikolai Delyanev uses to paint is a kind of optical illusion by mixing colours and shapes. The viewer feels as if he is 'sinking' into another dimension of the painting. The open book with the letters of the alphabet is created using the same technique.