Father Evgeny Bosilkov and the Historical Memory of the Bulgarians

Blessed Eugene Bosilkov served for 12 years as a parish priest in the largest village of the Banat Bulgarians in Bulgaria. Historicity is infiltrated into the life of the community through the speeches Father Eugene Bosilkov delivers on certain holidays associated with significant anniversaries. His life among the Banat Bulgarians and his high culture put him at the centre of national events that required him to forge links between the representatives of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Bulgarians with their divided ways through time. His “Speech on Abagar” and “Speech on the Chiprovtsi Uprising” mark two of the key moments where the two variants of Bulgarian meet and highlight the role of figures such as Philip Stanislavov and Peter Parchevich.