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Orthodox Church honors memory of Holy Martyr Georgi Sofiyski

Photo: library

St. Georgi Sofiyski Novi (St. George the Newest of Sofia) was born in the town of Kratovo in a Bulgarian family. He was left without a father from an early age and fled to Sofia to avoid forced change of faith. Ottoman rulers in Sofia, however, cunningly tried to lure him into their faith, but despite the fact he was just 18 years old, he remained firm. Due to the refusal to change his faith he was burned at a stake on February 11, 1515.

No matter how hard the Ottomans tried to burn his body to dust, they did not succeed. The wood burned but the body remained intact. During the night, Christians secretly carried the body of the martyr to the church of "St. Marina" (in the yard of today's Sofia diocese) and solemnly buried it.



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