Bulgaria Receives Holy Fire from Jerusalem for Orthodox Easter

Jerusalem, 12 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – The Holy Fire from Jerusalem has arrived in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Patriarchate announced.

A Bulgarian airline transported the Holy Fire from Bucharest to Timisoara, and on the way back to Sofia, it also transported it to Vasil Levski Airport. At 10:30 p.m., the Holy Fire, which was prayed for today in Jerusalem, arrived in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Patriarchate added.

The Holy Fire is about to be brought to the Synodal Chapel, from where it will be brought and handed over to the Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil before the start of the Easter service. He will distribute it to all Orthodox Christians present before the proclamation of Christ’s resurrection, the Bulgarian Patriarchate explains.

Clergymen today were able to take the Holy Fire from the Synodal Chapel “St. Tsar Boris-Michael”, which is kept in the capital, to take it to the evening service on today’s Holy Saturday , as the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church-Bulgarian Orthodox Church decided a few days ago that a Bulgarian delegation would not be sent to Israel and the holy city of Jerusalem due to the situation in the Middle East.

The Holy Fire descended today at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem at 2:13 p.m. local time (coincides with Bulgarian time). Bulgarian National Television broadcast the event live.