Stefan (Staykov)

He was born on October 13 (26), 1907 in the village of Kara Huseyin, Varna. He grew up in a large poor family, was the last, seventh child. Sizmalstva was brought up in diligence and kindness. His father, Peter Staykov Saryanchev, sang in the rural church of the Holy Trinity. His mother, Mara Popsavova Zhekova, was a housewife, in addition to taking care of her family, actively helped her husband in his affairs.

Staiko received primary education in his native village. He graduated from gymnasium in the village of Kozludzha , Varna.

Wanting to continue his education, at the cost of great labor and hardship, in the fall of 1921 he entered the Plovdiv Theological Seminary , which he graduated in 1927.

Since September 1927, Stayko Staykov was appointed a singer at the Varna Church of the Holy Archangel Michael.

From the beginning of 1928 he entered the Theological Faculty of St. Clement of Ohrid, Sofia University . Student years were not financially easy, but despite all the difficulties, Stayko studied diligently and completed the full course of study in 1932.

After defending his diploma, from 1932 to 1938, Staiko Staykov was a clerk and preacher at the Varna-Preslav Metropolis, as well as a choir in the Varna Sea Sounds choir with conductor Hristo Mikhailov.

On January 4, 1935, in the Varna Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, Staiko Staykov, Metropolitan Simeon of Varna and Preslavsky was tonsured a Riasophore with the name Stefan .

The next day, January 5, in the same church he was ordained Metropolitan Simeon to the rank of Hierodeacon .

With the blessing of the Varna and Preslav Metropolitan Simeon at the end of 1935, Hierodeacon Stefan organized and supervised the church singing courses at the monastery of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Preslav . At that time, Stefan wrote a letter to Professor Pyotr Nikov, the nephew of Metropolitan Simeon, asking him to intercede with Bishop to be sent for a one-year specialization abroad at the expense of the Metropolitan Simeon Diocesan Educational Foundation. Having received a blessing, from November 1937 until September 1938, Hierodeacon Stefan was a theologian and linguistic specialist in Freiburg , Germany.

After returning to his homeland, on December 19, 1938, in the Varna church of St. Nicholas, he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk Metropolitan Joseph of Varna and Preslav.

From the end of 1938 until the beginning of 1939 - financial auditor at the Varna-Preslav Metropolis.

In the 1939–1940 academic year, Hieromonk Stefan was a teacher-educator at the Plovdiv Theological Seminary. As soon as he received a new appointment, he found the mournful news of the death of his mother.

In September 1940, the young priest went to Germany again, where he continued his studies at the University of Breslau . In 1944 he completed his studies with a doctorate in law , defending a dissertation on the topic “Church and State in Bulgaria”.

On August 2, 1944, Hieromonk Stefan began his ministry in the Plovdiv diocese , where he was appointed diocesan preacher.

On January 7, 1946, by the decision of the Holy Synod, he was elevated to the dignity of Archimandrite Metropolitan Cyril of Plovdiv.

From June 16, 1947 to April 1950, Archimandrite Stefan served as the protosingel of the Plovdiv Metropolis . Here he performs his duties very carefully, serves regularly, he himself or together with Metropolitan Cyril traveled to various populated areas of the diocese.

At the suggestion of the Plovdiv Metropolitan Kirill, on April 2, 1950, Archimandrite Stefan was ordained bishop with the title Glavinitsky in the Cathedral Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia and was appointed vicar to the Plovdiv Metropolitan. He held this post until January 1962. As a vicar bishop, Stefan was also active and tireless in the ministry, both divine services and administrative activities. This became especially noticeable in the period from 1953 to 1962, when he was de facto temporary administrator of the Plovdiv diocese, since Metropolitan of Plovdiv Kirill, becoming a patriarch, was not exempted from the administration of the Plovdiv chair until 1969, although he stayed mainly in Sofia .

On January 21, 1962, Bishop Stefan was elected, and on January 28 of the same year he was canonically approved for Metropolitan Velikotirnovsky.

Tired not only physically, but also spiritually from the anxieties of his time, Metropolitan Stefan requested that Archimandrite Dometian be consecrated bishop for him.

Despite his grave condition, he tried to regularly attend meetings of the Holy Synod.

On January 27, 1992, due to old age and poor health, Metropolitan Stefan was relieved of all administrative duties and was fired retired from living in a metropolitan house.

In the spring of 1992, there was a split in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Taking advantage of the poor state of health of Metropolitan Stefan, the greedy individuals misled the bishop, who put his signature on the resolution of the schismatics, which in turn led to undesirable and maybe not quite fair canonical sanctions against him.

Shortly before his death, in March and May 1995, at the time of mental enlightenment, Metropolitan Stefan personally wrote two penitential letters to Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria and the Holy Synod in which he asked to forgive him for the actions of his fellow bishops that they committed.

He died on November 10, 1995 in Veliky Tarnovo at the age of 88 years. The funeral service was performed on November 12 by Patriarch Maxim and the members of the Holy Synod in the Great Turnov Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. He was buried in the narthex of the church of the monastery of St. Nicholas in the village of Arbanassi, Veliky Tarnovo Region .

• Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius I degree (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
• Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, II Degree ( Russian Orthodox Church )
• Cross on the holy apostle and evangelist Mark I degree ( Alexandria Orthodox Church )

• Dnes se navrshvat 15 years old from the end of the year to the observance of Velikotarnovsky Metropolitan STEFAN (Bulgarian)
• MODERN WORKER ON LIVES OF NIVA - 15 years from the end of the year on Velikotarnovsk Metropolitan Dr. STEFAN (1907-1995) (Bulgarian)