February 20 marks two moments in Bulgaria’s history when the country had to define itself in relation to powers much larger than itself — one spiritual and institutional, the other diplomatic and geopolitical.
February 20, 1881 — Members of the First Post-Liberation Holy Synod Are Elected
Members of the first Holy Synod after Bulgaria’s Liberation were elected. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church had been central to the National Revival and to the struggle for cultural and ecclesiastical autonomy, so reorganizing church leadership after 1878 was an important institutional step. The Holy Synod carried responsibility for clergy, dioceses, church administration, and education, as well as the public role of Orthodoxy in the young state.
In Bulgaria, church history was inseparable from language, schooling, community identity, and national politics. Electing a post-Liberation Synod helped transform the Exarchate from a Revival-era national institution into a body operating within the new Bulgarian political reality — a transition from resistance to governance.
February 20, 1950 — The United States Breaks Diplomatic Relations with Bulgaria
The United States broke diplomatic relations with Bulgaria for the second time, during the tense early years of the Cold War. The rupture came as Bulgaria was firmly entering the Soviet sphere and as political repression, espionage accusations, and ideological confrontation shaped relations between East and West. Diplomatic relations would be re-established at legation level in 1959 and later upgraded to embassy level in 1966.
The break reflected Bulgaria’s place in a divided Europe where even small states became part of global strategic conflict. For Bulgarian citizens, the Cold War affected travel, information, culture, security, and daily political language — February 20, 1950 marks the moment Bulgaria’s international room for manoeuvre narrowed sharply as the bipolar world hardened around it.
Continue through February with February 19 and February 21. If you’d like to see Bulgaria from a different angle, our Bulgaria From Above series is a good place to start.
