John The Baptist Relics in Sofia

The relics, unearthed this summer off Sozopol on Bulgaria’s southern coast and purported to be John the Baptist, will be displayed in the capital Sofia for three days as of November 12. Another reason to visit Sofia and Free Sofia Tour!

The relics are expected to arrive on Saint Alexander Nevsky square around 5 pm and will be welcomed solemnly by the clergy, politicians and citizens, according to a statement of the Holy Synod.

A mass will be served for the health and welfare of the Bulgarian people in fornt of the relics, which will be displayed at the patriarchal cathedral, giving opportunity to the faithful to take a glimpse of the relics.

The remains believed to be John the Baptist, including a skull fragment and a tooth, were uncovered at the end of July during the excavation of a fourth-century monastery on St. Ivan Island, off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. They were in a sealed reliquary buried next to a tiny urn inscribed with St. John’s name and his birth date.

Source: Controversy Provoking John The Baptist Relics Displayed in Sofia