Related Topics  History  Monasteries  Rila Monastery  Icons  General Information		Religion An important element in the history of the Bulgarian Church was the adoption of Christianity. In 864, during the reign of Prince Boris I (852-889), peace talks were held with Byzantium, following which the Constantinople Patriarchate sent Byzantine clerics to Bulgaria. Thus the conversion to Christianity was initiated. Prince Boris and the members of the foremost Bulgarian families were secretly converted. Chroniclers recorded and widely popularized this event. The Eastern Orthodox religion was imposed as the official religion. Prince Boris met a historical necessity at the time - Bulgaria became part of European culture which was essentially Christian in nature. In addition, it also helped to strengthen the country's international situation. The adoption of Christianity also helped to quickly eliminate the differences between proto-Bulgarians and Slavs. This, in turn, served to shape the Bulgarian nationality, i.e. the introduction of a common lifestyle, customs and mores. In 927 the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was recognized as an independent Eastern Orthodox patriarchate.

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