To Discover Sofroniy. Sinner, Saint, or Action Hero

“To Discover Sofroniy”, authored by Iskren Krasimirov, is dedicated to one of the greatest Bulgarian national heroes. Based on scientific research, skillfully accompanied by his own comments, the book presents life and work of Sofroniy Vrachanski in an attempt to place him in his rightful place in the pantheon of the National Revival heroes. In an accessible and intriguing story, the overall image of the Vratsa bishop (as a bishop, public figure, writer, diplomat) is highlighted; the “humble martyr” Sofroniy, as he described himself in “Life and Sufferings of the Sinful Sophronius” and as the mass image of him is, is contrasted with the large-scale Revival personality.

The figure of Sofroniy as “the first spiritual and political leader of his people” is placed in the context of the historical collisions at the dawn of the Bulgarian Revival and in the spheres of the internal drama of one of our most prominent Revival intellectuals.