The Church of St. John of Rila – a piece of Bulgaria in London

published on 2/24/25 3:05 PM

Photo: BTA

After nearly 35 years, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Community in London has its own church in the central part of the British capital, in close proximity to the Bulgarian Embassy. There, in the prestigious Kensington district, next to Hyde Park and the Victoria and Albert Museum, there is a piece of Bulgaria, called to unite our compatriots in spiritual unity.

The new Orthodox Church "St. John of Rila" in London opens doors

The former small room, as the Bulgarians in London called the chapel "St. John of Rila", has been transformed beyond recognition. And immediately after its consecration, two children were baptized in it.

"The mission of the temple is to gather in the name of God," noted after the consecration of the church the Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil, who led the festive liturgy, in service with Metropolitans Anthony of Western and Central Europe and Pachomius of Vidin, Bishops Gerasim of Melnik and Meletius of Znepol. "The quality of a person's life depends on the faith that leads us to God," said His Holiness to the founders, donors and trustees of the newly built church and wished them to pray in it, to repent and grow in brotherly love. ‎

‎ ‎

And to the laity who flocked to meet him from different parts of the United Kingdom, Patriarch Daniil wished:‎

‎"May God grant that all of you who gather here may continue to rejoice and to protect, to cherish this temple. And what is the purpose of every Orthodox temple – to receive this sanctification and support from God. To grow in faith and love for God and for people, and thereby to glorify God's name and to delight all people who see and around you will be ignited by this flame of faith and love for God. Thank God for everything! We thank all who worked hard! May God protect and help us for many blessed years!" ‎

The Bulgarian Patriarch voiced gratitude for the efforts of His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe, as well as Bulgarian diplomat Marin Raykov, who contributed to the success of this holy work. And indeed, at a time when other Orthodox churches on the outskirts of London are being built on the basis of permits that have been obtained for years, an agreement was reached with the local building authorities for the Bulgarian church quite quickly, and at the same time in the very center of the city - in Westminster, 50 meters from Albert Hall.

"I would also like to mention that in a strange period in the spiritual history, I would say, of the United Kingdom, when churches are being turned into restaurants, bars and business centers and most of them are maintained with enormous efforts by the Local Church Authorities, we, the Bulgarians, are building a new church. There is symbolism in this and I hope that this symbolism will materialize in a rise of our community in the United Kingdom," Marin Raykov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to the UK in the period 2019 - 2024, told Radio Bulgaria.

Many donors from Bulgaria also participated in the construction of the church as white marble from Bulgaria was also transported, notes Miroslav Bogdancaliev, who is leading the project:

"There are thousands of pieces of marble in the church, each of which has a different size and place in the building design of the church. It was extremely difficult to find a company in England to do it. In fact, the entire project was high-tech.

The technique, which involves increasing the volume, requires asymmetrical shapes and arches, which are made according to a special virtual design. Subsequently, a technological design is developed and all components begin to be produced. The ceilings, for example, with all these arches, were made with computer models, as was the dome itself."

Of course, there is still a lot of finishing work to be done, and the painting of the church by Father Dobromir Dimitrov, its superior, is still to come. After the official part of the consecration was over, he gave his blessing to the audience of Radio Bulgaria:

Отец Добромир Димитров с двама от дарителите

"To love the church and to love the services, to love Christ, to not pay attention to the current events on social networks, because we can very easily live in this depression of negative news, of petty condemnation. We need a piece of heaven. We walk on earth, but let us hold on to heaven, let us not pay attention to these current events! Let us seek the sacraments, let us seek repentance, let us seek the Eucharist, let us seek the living life of the Church. Not an ideology connected to a political form, but to seek the living Christ among our brothers, among our sisters."