[size=55:6tmqno1m]novinite 29 July 2010

Archaeologists Uncover John the Baptist Relics in Bulgaria's Sozopol -

Parts of St. John the Baptist's relics might have been discovered during archaeological excavations in Bulgaria's southern Black Sea town of Sozopol, report Bulgarian media.

Archaeologists investigating the Sv. Ivan (St. John) island off Sozopol have found an exquisite reliquary – a relic urn – built in the altar of an ancient church bearing the name of St. John the Baptist

The reliquary has the shape of a sarcophagus and is dated end of 4th - beginning of 5th c. AD. It was discovered by the team of Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

The church's name, as well as the fact that it had a special emperor's statute issued, has hinted to archeologists that it might actually contain St. John's relics. The urn is expected to be opened Sunday.

St. John the Baptist - called also the Forerunner - is an imposing figure in the Christian New Testament. He was the last to prophecize the coming of Jesus Christ - and the one to baptize the young Jesus in the river Jordan. The great prophet died a martyr's death beheaded by king Herod at the request of his daughter Salome.

According to the Bible, St. John the Forerunner prophesized about Christ thus: "
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and fire"
(Matthew 3:11).

St. John the Baptist is especially venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. Over the centuries, there have been controversies about where his relics are located.

The town of Sozopol is one of the most ancient on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, dating from the Bronze age. It was colonized by Greeks, headed by philosopher Anaximander, around 610 BC. Sozopol became an early Christian centre with its own bishop. For most of the Middle Ages, it was part of the Byzantine empire.

[size=55:2kbhpt9t]novinite 01 August 2010

Bulgaria Confirms John the Baptist Relics Unearthed in Sozopol

Parts of Saint John the Baptist's relics have been discovered during archaeological excavations in Bulgaria's southern Black Sea town of Sozopol, archaeologists announced on Sunday, confirming earlier reports.

Archaeologists investigating the Sv. Ivan (St. John) island off Sozopol have found an exquisite reliquary – a relic urn – built in the altar of an ancient church bearing the name of St. John the Baptist.

The urn, which was opened on Sunday, contains small bones from the arm and leg of the saint,the archaeologists claim.

The reliquary has the shape of a sarcophagus and was discovered by the team of Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

St. John the Baptist - called also the Forerunner - is an imposing figure in the Christian New Testament. He was the last to prophecize the coming of Jesus Christ - and the one to baptize the young Jesus in the river Jordan. The great prophet died a martyr's death beheaded by king Herod at the request of his daughter Salome.

According to the Bible, St. John the Forerunner prophesized about Christ thus: "
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and fire"
(Matthew 3:11).

St. John the Baptist is especially venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. Over the centuries, there have been controversies about where his relics are located.

The town of Sozopol is one of the most ancient on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, dating from the Bronze age. It was colonized by Greeks, headed by philosopher Anaximander, around 610 BC. Sozopol became an early Christian centre with its own bishop. For most of the Middle Ages, it was part of the Byzantine empire.

EXPECT MORE DETAILS

[size=55:24j1cig8]novinite 01 August 2010

Archaeologists Believe John the Baptist Relics Come from Constantinople



Bulgaria's Minister without Portfolio has stated that the relics of Saint John the Baptist, found in the Bulgaria's southern Black sea town of Sozopol, were probably donated by Constantinople.

“We suppose that in ancient times, someone from the Patriarchate of Constantinople has donated part of the holy relics to the monastery “St. John the Forerunner”,” Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov said Sunday, adding that the archaeological interest towards the Sv. Ivan island dates back to about 25 years ago.

Dimitrov participated in the official ceremony Sunday, which was attended also by a committee of specialists, MPs and journalists.

The archaeologists have announced that the relics of St. John the baptist include parts of an arm, heel, tooth and a facial bone.

The head of the archaeological team, Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov, has given the relics to the Bishop of Sliven, Joanikii, who is supposed to decide where the relics should be lying in state.

According to the Bulgarian Minister without Portfolio, the relics should be placed in the “ST. George” church near Sozopol.

On July 28, archaeologists investigating the Sv. Ivan (St. John) island off Sozopol found an exquisite reliquary – a relic urn – built in the altar of an ancient church bearing the name of St. John the Baptist.

The reliquary has the shape of a sarcophagus and was discovered by the team of Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

St. John the Baptist - called also the Forerunner - is an imposing figure in the Christian New Testament. He was the last to prophecize the coming of Jesus Christ - and the one to baptize the young Jesus in the river Jordan. The great prophet died a martyr's death beheaded by king Herod at the request of his daughter Salome.

According to the Bible, St. John the Forerunner prophesized about Christ thus: "
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and fire"
(Matthew 3:11).

St. John the Baptist is especially venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. Over the centuries, there have been controversies about where his relics are located.

The town of Sozopol is one of the most ancient on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, dating from the Bronze age. It was colonized by Greeks, headed by philosopher Anaximander, around 610 BC. Sozopol became an early Christian centre with its own bishop. For most of the Middle Ages, it was part of the Byzantine empire.

[size=55:2oxof8z5]Standart 03 August 2010

I am Proud Sozopol Will Welcome Pilgrims

Mr Reyzi, you are not an archeologist but what is your opinion of the latest archeological find on St John island ? the reliquary holding the relics of St John the Baptist?
- This has been a unique event. Trust me, I am still under the impression that the ceremony of the opening of the reliquary left on me and I have been especially moved the fact that such historical events take place in Sozopol. Only three months ago Patriarch Bartholomew visited out town and now we have the relics of St John the Baptist discovered here. I am sure that this archeological discovery will have an impact not only on Sozopol but on Bulgaria as a whole. As a Christian I am especially impressed with the fact that the relics of St John the Baptist were discovered and the will be accessible for the people. As a citizen of Sozopol I am especially proud that this happened in my home town. As a mayor of Sozopol I face the challenge to lay the foundations of pilgrimage tourism in Sozopol.
- What are the ideas that Sozopol municipality has for the development of pilgrimage tourism?
- As a start we will work towards the popularization of Sozopol as a pilgrimage tourism destination. Here the relics of St Andrew Protokletos, a piece of the Holy Cross and now the relics of St John the Baptist are kept. We have started working on advertising materials.
- For a couple of days there has been a discussion going on where it would be best for the relics of St John the Baptist to be exhibited. What do you think?
- The best place for keeping them is the church St George in Sozopl which preserves the rest of the holy relics ? the piece of the Holy Cross and the relics of Apostle Andrew

[size=55:3tkaunsb]Standart 03 August 2010

PM Commissions Golden Urn for St John the Baptist?s Relics
[size=85:3tkaunsb]State aid for the repair of Sts Cyril and Methodius Church in Sozopol

An urn of gold and silver will hold the relics of St John the Baptist in Sozopol, southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The precious reliquary was personally commissioned by Bulgaria?s Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov, the Standart learnt. The urn will be a personal gift. The reliquary is being crafted after all requirements of the canon and is richly decorated with images of saints and crosses, explained Bojidar Dimitrov, Minister of the Bulgarian Diaspora. The reliquary is prepared in Plovdiv and is expected to be brought in Sofia today. Probably Borissov will take personally his gift to Sozopol where the relics are currently kept in the police security vault.
The Cabinet will discuss state subsidy for the restoration of Sts Cyril and Methodius church in Sozopol. Reportedly, Borissov phoned Sozopol Mayor, Panayot Reyzi and invited him to attend the sitting of the ministers.

[size=55:axph5qi2]novinite 03 August 2010

Bulgarian Minister Urges Calm over St John the Baptist Archaeology Find

Bulgaria’s Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov has called upon the media not to speculate over the recent archaeological discovery of relics of St. John the Baptist in the Black Sea town of Sozopol.

“The find near Sozopol is very engaging and pleasant. But we have to wait for the results from the tests. Emotional statements are nice but one should be careful with them. Take me, for example. When I found that we are going to have 25 000 square meters for a museum in Sofia, I exclaimed that this will be the “Bulgarian Louvre,” Rashidov stated Tuesday when asked about the alleged relics of St. John the Baptist.

According to Bulgaria’s Diaspora Minister and notable historian Bozhidar Dimitrov, there is no doubt that the relics found in Sozopol belonged to St. John the Baptist.

The relics, which include part of an arm bone, a skull bone, and a tooth, were found in a sealed marble reliquary in the St. John the Forerunner Church on the St. Ivan Island near Sozopol on July 28, 2010, by the team of archaeologists led by Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

According to Dimitrov, who is himself a native of Sozopol, the monastery of the St. John the Forerunner Church in Sozopol was one of the largest in medieval Bulgaria and Byzantium, and had an imperial status. Many of its leaders rose to the ranks of becoming Patriarchs of Constantinople. His surmise is that the Constantinople Patriarchate presented to holy relics of St. John the Baptist to the Sozopol Monastery.

Dimitrov believes that Sozopol can become a “Second Jerusalem” because the local church St. George already has a piece of the Holy Cross, and relics of St. Andrew.

The relics of St. John the Baptist are also to be donated to the St. George Church in the town, the Sozopol Municipality announced. The ceremony will include a parade with the participating of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov and Diaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov.

[size=55:3oenps84]novnite 03 August 2010

Bulgarian Archaeologists Agitated over Relics of St. John the Baptist

The discovery of relics of St. John the Baptist in the Black Sea town of Sozopol has caused jealousy among Bulgarian archaeologists, according to Diaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov.

Bulgarian media have published several opinions of archaeologists wishing to remain anonymous saying that the authorities were too fast to declare that the relics found in Sozopol actually belonged to St. John the Baptist.

The relics, which include part of an arm bone, a skull bone, and a tooth, were found in a sealed marble reliquary in the St. John the Forerunner Church on the St. Ivan Island near Sozopol on July 28, 2010, by the team of archaeologists led by Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

Bulgaria’s Culture Minister Rashidov has urged calm over the discovery. Diaspora Minister and renowned historian Bozhidar Dimitrov, however, has expressed absolute certainty in the fact that the relics found on the St. Ivan Island belonged to St. John the Baptist. He has pointed to an inscription on the marble sarcophagus holding the relics as the greatest evidence for their origin.

“The other archaeologists are shaken by wild envy of their colleague, Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov. He is a rarely lucky man. It is very seldom that one would find an inscription, and in archaeology the inscription is considered the most authentic proof,” stated Dimitrov, who is a former Director of the Bulgarian National History Museum and a native of Sozopol.

The inscription in question found on the reliquary states that “some time in the 5th century a man named Toma transferred the holy relics exactly on the birthday of St. John the Forerunner.”

Disgruntled archaeologists quoted by a number of Bulgarian media have not really questioned the authenticity of the relics but the sensational way it was presented to the public without carrying out first the respective tests. Some have pointed out that the bones can only be dated but that there is no way of actually proving that they belonged to one of the founders of Christianity.

Many have expressed discontent with the “sensational” nature of Bulgarian archaeological discoveries in the past few years. They explain this approach with the attempt of some of the members of their professional community to attract sponsors for their digs.

Despite the doubts, the special procession which is going to bring the relics of St. John the Baptist to the St. George Church in Sozopol is scheduled for Thursday. According to the Bulgarian 24 Chasa Daily, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has order a special silver sarcophagus for the relics, for which he is going to pay with money of his own.

[size=55:nu7hw540]novinite 05 August 2010

Bulgaria, Sozopol in Euphoria over St. John the Baptist Archaeology Find

The recently discovered relics of St John the Baptist have been laid in state in Bulgaria’s Sozopol after a transfer processing which brought much excitement and euphoria in the Black Sea town.

The relics, which include part of an arm bone, a skull bone, and a tooth, were found in a sealed marble reliquary in the St. John the Forerunner Church on the St. Ivan Island near Sozopol on July 28, 2010, by the team of archaeologists led by Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

The procession led by the Bulgarian Orthodox Bishop of Sliven brought the relics of St. John the Baptist from the St. Ivan Island to the St. George Church in the downtown where they were laid in state.

Thousands of Bulgarians as well as dozens of buses with foreign tourists – Germans, Russians, Poles, Czechs - having their vacations along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast have immediately arrived on a pilgrimage trips to pay their respects to the relics of St. John the Baptist.

The samples from the reliquary and the bones are still to be tested by specialists have expressed their views that there is no doubt whatsoever that absolutely unique archaeological discovery consists of relics of St. John the Baptist.

The wide-ranging arguments for that start with the fact that the small sarcophagus was found in a “natural architectural environment” - hidden under the major slabstone on the floor of the St. John the Forerunner Church – the oldest church on the St. Ivan Island.

(The island off the Sozopol coast itself is named St. John the Baptist – as Ivan is the Bulgarian/Slavic name for John.)

Experts have pointed out that at the time of the building of the St. Ivan the Forerunner Church – 4th century AD – the tradition was to build in relics of saints in the construction instead of to lay them in state for pilgrims, and there was no intentional falsifications of such holy items.

The greatest argument supporting the thesis that the relics belong to St. John the Baptist is the “clue” found at 1.2 m from the reliquary. It consists of a small box bearing inscriptions that make it clear who and when brought the relics of St. John the Baptist to Sozopol.

The inscriptions make it clear that a man name Thomas, “God’s servant brought a particle of St. John on the 24th.” Even though some of the end letters are missing, the inscription in Greek makes it clear that the date refers to the birthday of St. John the Baptist, June 24. The use of genetive case in the inscription leaves no doubt that the relics belonged to one of the founders of Christianity.

“It is important to understand one thing – this is the first time ever in the world archaeological practice that relics of St. John are found together with an inscription which just literally nails the conclusion and leaves no doubts. There are no speculations here,” said the founder of the unique discovery, archaeologist Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

“I think that this is the discovery of the year, not just in the Bulgarian archaeology but also in the European archaeology. It is hard to speak of the symbols of early Christianity but Apolonia (i.e. the Greek name of Sozopol) and the St. Ivan Island were one of the earliest places where Christians settled as they were persecuted by the Roman authorities. Their heritage is connected with the entire Christian history,” explained the Director of the Burgas Regional History Museum Tsonya Drazheva who is also part of the archaeological team that found the relics of St. John.

The relics of St. John the Baptist will lay in state in the St. George Church in Sozopol until the completion of the repairs of the larger St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church nearby.

Once the larger church is completed, the relics of St. John will be transferred there, together with two other holy items already kept in Sozopol – the a piece of the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ donated to the town by the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the National History Museum, and relics of St. Andrew, which were donated to the town by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I during his visit to Sozopol last month.

On Wednesday, the Bulgarian government allocated additional BGN 420 000 for completing the renovation of the St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church which will be the home of the holy relics.

“As soon as this amazing archaeological discovery was made, I made some research, and found that such finds generate great returns from tourism and pilgrimage. Bulgaria and this region will now enter the world tourism maps as a pilgrimage site. The fact that this is a sea resort provides for an unique combination between cultural and sea tourism,” declared Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Simeon Djankov who participated in the procession carrying the relics together with Diaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov, a Sozopol native.

Bulgarian Minister Exchanges Insults with Top Archaeologist over St. John the Baptist Relics

Bulgaria’s Diaspora Minister and renowned historian Bozhidar Dimitrov has entered into an exchange of insults with perhaps the most famous Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov over the recent discovery of the relics of St. John the Baptist in Sozopol.

The fight broke out over Dimitrov’s statement from Tuesday published in a Sofia daily newspaper in which he slammed certain archaeologists for being envious of Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov, the man who found the relics of St. John the Baptist, and for criticizing Popkonstantinov and Dimitrov himself for celebrating the discovery before carrying out the proper tests.

“Why, damn it, why, where is all this envy coming from?! This is what I cannot find an explanation with this fucking people, with these fucking colleagues,” the Diaspora Minister and a former Director of the Bulgarian National History Museum, said when expressing his indignation that some of the Bulgarian archaeologists had declared the triumph over the relics of St. John the Baptist premature.

“Please don’t interpret literally the words of a 65-year-old nationalist who has proven himself to the Bulgarian people. I did not say “fucking people, fucking colleagues”. The second part of this sentence makes it clear that I had in mind a group of people calling themselves archaeologists. You can see from the context of the conversation that this does not refer to the entire Bulgarian people and its qualities. I am condemning several archaeologists, who had made anonymous statements in the press, and who did not express doubt but, rather, envy and hate for their colleague. I was just defending out colleague Popkonstantinov,” Minister Dimitrov told Darik Radio Friday.

He further identified Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov as the main critic from among those “anonymous archaeologists”. This has resulted from a comment by Ovcharov published Friday in the 24 Chasa Daily.

“I am starting a discussion. Today Ovcharov came out with his name, and started quarreling with me. The “fuckers” are no longer anonymous. We are now going to be fighting personally, with our names,” Dimitrov said.

Friday’s article by archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov has appeared as a reaction to earlier statements by Dimitrov – the above-mentioned one about the “anonymous” envious archaeologists and another one about the civilization of Ancient Thrace.

In his first comment, Dimitrov states that he did not know who those anonymous archaeologists doubting the discovery of the holy relics were, but that he would take care of those “shepherds” when he found out. This statement is a word play with the last name of Professor Ovcharov (“ovchar” meaning “shepherd” in Bulgarian).

In his second comment Dimitrov talks disparagingly about the civilization of Ancient Thrace, in which he compares the Thracians to modern-day Bulgarian “mutri” (i.e. former wrestlers turned gangsters) for their boisterousness and their affinity for gold;
he further claimed that medieval Bulgarian monuments and documents were more important (Ancient Thrace flourished in the 6th-3rd century BC, while the medieval Bulgarian state was set up on the same territory in the 7th century), and that today’s archaeology in Bulgaria had turned into an epitome of “primitive thinking” designed for the “mass public.”

In his Friday’s comment in the 24 Chasa Daily, Ovcharov, who is known for exploring the Ancient Thracian sanctuary and fortress Perperikon, is visibly agitated by Dimitrov’s comments.

“I fail to understand where Dimitrov’s hatred for Thracian culture originated. He is a student of Alexander Fol (i.e. the founder of Thracian Studies in Bulgaria – editor’s note). Just several years ago in his capacity as the Director of the National History Museum he was generously funding research of Ancient Thrace, including my digs at the Tatul sanctuary. Speaking behind someone’s back is not my style. Two years ago when I did not agree with Dimitrov’s thesis about the Boyana Church, I gave a press conference,” explains Nikolay Ovcharov in his article in the 24 Chasa Daily.

The conflict between Bozhidar Dimitrov and Nikolay Ovcharov goes back two years ago when Dimitrov claimed he had established the identity of the mysterious muralist of the 13-th century Renaissance like-images in the Boyana Church near Sofia, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Ovcharov disputed Dimitrov’s claims, which has unleashed into a war of words in which both researchers criticized each other’s work and discoveries going as far as outright insults.

“I must point out that after the opening of the reliquary allegedly holding the relics of St. John the Baptist on Sunday I decided to remain quiet about the identity of the relics. This is how I answered the questions posed to me by the 24 Chasa, the Trud Daily and other media, and they can confirm this. I am going to keep quiet on that in the future as well,” states Ovcharov in the article clearing himself from the claims made by Dimitrov that he slammed Popkonstantinov’s find out of envy.

Bozhidar Dimitrov is a famous historian known for his nationalist views, focusing much of his research on medieval Bulgaria, the ancient Buglarians, Macedonia's role in Bulgarian history, and relations with contemporary Macedonia. He is a former member of the Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and a former Director of the Bulgarian National History Museum.

He gave up the latter post upon joining the Borisov government of the center-right GERB party in the summer of 2009 as a Minister without a portfolio in charge of the Bulgarians Abroad and of religions. Dimitrov is famous for making controversial comments - such as the one that Bulgaria may veto Turkey's EU accession. At one point Bulgarian PM Borisov joked that he was afraid that some day, upon coming home from a visit abroad, he might find out that Dimitrov had declared war on some of Bulgaria's neighbors.

Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov is perhaps the most famous Bulgarian archaeologist at present. He is known for researching the ancient Thracian settlements Tatul and Perperikon in the Rhodope Mountains and the medieval Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo. Sometimes called "
The Bulgarian Indiana Jones"
, Ovcharov has been often criticized by his colleagues for seeking to achieve media sensationalism with his public appearances and demonstrations of his finds.

[size=55:2dxkzaiu]novinite 20 August 2010

Bulgaria's Discoverer of John the Baptist Relics Kazimir Popkonstantinov: This Is Epoch-Making Archaeology Find

Popkonstantinov is a professor and has a PhD in History. He is teaching in the Archaeology department in the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo.

He is a winner of the Herder Prize, which is an international prize dedicated to the promotion of scientific, art and literature relations and presented to scholars and artists from Central and Southeastern Europe whose life and work have improved the cultural understanding of European countries and their peaceful interrelations.

For three years he has been leading the team which was investigating the church of St. John the Baptist on the Sv. Ivan (St. John) island off the Bulgarian Black Sea town of Sozopol. At the end of July the team found relics which they claim to be St. John the Baptist.

Besides an archaeologist, Popkostantinov is also a specialist in medieval Bulgarian and Greek epigraphy and his knowledges in these fields have helped him with the decryption of the ancient inscription, found near the relics.

Your discovery of relics purported to be John the Baptist turned into a huge sensation. Did this help or hamper your work and the cause that you have embraced for promoting the archaeological site?

For me and the team that I head, including my deputies Rusina Kostova from Veliko Tarnovo University and Tsonya Drazheva, director of Burgas Regional History Museum, the discovery of the reliquary is no sensation. We knew we could find a reliquary there and our expectations came true.

We knew that because in this early stage of Christianity, after it was declared an official religion by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine, it was very likely to find one. People at that time used to put a reliquary with the relics of the patron, to whom a temple is dedicated, under the pillar of the alter table, when the temple is sanctified.

It is important to stress that from this moment on the relics are invisible even for those who have placed them there, they are interred there for once and for all. These relics are not meant for drawing pilgrims to the place and this is something that part of the archaeologists and journalists obviously find hard to understand. It is for these people that the discovery of the relics is sensational.

The reliquary was discovered on July 28 at 1.30 pm. It is only for the sake of transparency and promotion of this important element of the Christian temple architecture that I insisted that it is transported to a museum only after journalists and TV cameramen come to the site

You claim that the excavation of the small container for holy relics under the altar of the basilica on Sveti Ivan, a Black Sea island off Sozopol, was as transparent as it could be, don’t you?

Yes, definitely, it could not have been more transparent. It is important to point out that this is the practice of the team that I head in all other places and monasteries where we are doing excavation works. We are doing this in a bid to rule out any shades of doubt as to the way the finds have been discovered. Some could have said: “Yes, they have a reliquary with bones in it, but only God knows how they came across it.” Now they don’t have the right to say this.

Is it possible to have relics of other saints in this artifact?

Those who answer with “no” to this question know nothing about Christian archeology and traditions. Why? Because it is not unusual for a reliquary to hold the relics of several saints. Back in 1952 Professor Stancho Vaklinov discovered in Veliki Preslav a very important temple, where Chargubilya Mostic, an important figure in the Bulgarian Middles Ages, was re-buried. Along with this discovery he came across a big reliquary, which was inserted in the northern wall of the temple, only to find the names of those saints, whose relics have been preserved there. A small reliquary made of clay, dating back to the antiquity, was found in a village near the town of Kyustendil with the inscription showing that there lie the relics of Apostle Thomas, of an archbishop and three new born children.”

What are the chances for an archaeologist to come across sacred relics?

I don’t have any statistics at hand, but I can cite a few cases. About one hundred years ago the founder of Bulgaria’s archeology Karel Skorpil discovered in the coastal town of Varna three reliquaries put one into the other. Alexander Minchev, seven years ago, unearthed a small reliquary with relics with it.

You don’t find a reliquary every day. I want to repeat once again that it was only with the aim to achieve maximum transparency and rule out any doubts that we insisted that the reliquary is opened in front of journalists and cameramen.

I believe it was God who guided us just more than a meter away from the reliquary that we fist found to a tiny sandstone box with a Greek inscription: "
God, save your servant Thomas. To St John. June 24”, the date, celebrated by Christians as John the Baptist's nativity.

The odds for this type of discovery to happen are if not once per 100,000, once per 99,000. Right after the discovery I approached colleagues working at the Vatican and asked them about the last time relics believed to be John the Baptist were found during excavation works. It turns out we are the first to do that for the last five hundred years, all the more so that we have a very strong proof that this is genuine, a key clue to the relics’ origin - the inscription on the box.

You partly answered my next question about the significance of the discovery. In the league of which other archaeological breakthroughs would you rank these relics?

The relics of John the Baptist ranks among those discoveries that are of great importance not only to the Christian world. The discovery is in the same league as the Qumran manuscripts and the discoveries made in the field of Egyptology. This is the reason why world media take such a great interest in the relics, including CNN and National Geographic, who plan to make a movie about the discovery that shook the Christian world.

How would you comment statements by some within Bulgaria's archaeological community, who greeted the discovery on Sveti Ivan with scepticism and say more tests are needed to make this claim?

I would not comment statements made by anonymous critics, who appear to be members of a newly found club - “The Club of the Anonymous Archaeologist”. Scientific discussions should not be held on the pages of newspapers or during TV broadcasts, but on the pages of scientific editions. It is only in this way that the competence of those who question my arguments can be truly judged.

What tests do you plan to carry out to prove further your claim?

Complex analyzes have been scheduled and these will not concern just the relics. Further tests will be done on the reliquary and its contents to establish their age, whether the fragments belong to one or more bodies. The contents of the reliquary contain strong clues that will allow us to track down the very ritual of placing relics inside it. Tests will also be carried out to analyze the small box, in which the relics were initially placed, and transported probably from Jerusalem, Antiohia or Constantinople to the island of Sveti Ivan.

Do you think that the purported relics could give a big boost to local tourism, drawing believers from neighboring Orthodox Christian countries? Do you believe the town of Sozopol will become the next Jerusalem?

Hundreds of newspapers, magazines and TV channels around the world broke the news about the major discovery made in Bulgaria. This is the driver, which will prompt the interest of the faithful people and even of those who are not that religious in this epoch-making discovery.

I concede that it is difficult to put on a par Sozopol with Jerusalem, a comparison that was invented by local journalists. It is a fact however that the discovery of the relics is a breakthrough. Sozopol is a town that also has the relics of Apostle Andrew and a small part of the holy cross. I was a witness of the great interest that the discovery triggered among the believers not only from Bulgaria but from neighboring and other European countries as well. Now every day about 100 people come to the island, which is a huge number having in mind its size and location.

The discovery is already working its magic and Sozopol has every right to become a center for religious pilgrimages.