The Bulgarian government will provide health insurance for the monks of the Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos

Starting August 1, 2026, the Bulgarian authorities will assume responsibility for paying the health insurance premiums for all residents of the Bulgarian Monastery of St. George Zograf, located on Mount Athos. This decision was made following unanimous support for an amendment to the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund, initiated by MP Kostadin Angelov. This was reported by mfa.bg.

This measure will ensure uninterrupted medical care for the monastery’s 36 monks. It is important to note that the decision received support from all political parties represented on the Budget Committee of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, underscoring the state’s commitment to supporting the monastery as a spiritual center.

Alongside healthcare issues, other measures to support the Zograf Monastery are also being discussed. During Archimandrite Gabriel’s visit to Bulgaria, talks were held with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivanka Tasheva. The parties paid special attention to restoration projects and the digitization of the monastery’s unique collection of books and archival heritage.

The Zograf Monastery, founded in the late 10th century, has remained a bastion of Bulgarian Orthodox tradition and culture for centuries. The monastery library houses the most important Slavic manuscripts and documents, which are of exceptional significance for the history of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the entire Orthodox world.

It should be recalled that earlier, Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria called for a measured approach to the issue of the Ukrainian church schism. As the Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church emphasized, after the Patriarchate of Constantinople granted the Tomos to the new church structure in Ukraine in 2019, the Bulgarian Church adopted a wait-and-see stance and has not recognized this decision to date.