Jacob (Donchev)

After completing secondary education in 1989, he studied in parallel courses at the Sofia Theological Seminary. In 1990 he entered the Sofia Theological Academy , which in 1992 acquired the status of the theological faculty of Sofia University. At the end of the Theological Academy, he served in the military ^[1] .

As a layman, he made great efforts to revive the abandoned and destroyed Monastery of St. Joachim Osogovsky with the eponymous church located near the village of Kutugertsi ^{[2] [3]} .

After various obediences, in 2007, at the invitation of Metropolitan Plovdiv Nikolai (Sevastiyanov), he entered the Batkum Petropavlovsk Monastery in the village of Patalenitsa ^[3] . On October 9 of the same year, he was tonsured a monk by his confessor, Metropolitan Plovdiv Nikolai (Sevastiyanov) with the name Jacob in honor of the Apostle Jacob Alfeev . From the same day he was appointed abbot of the monastery. On December 23, 2007, he was ordained by Metropolitan Nikolai to the rank of hierodeacon , and on December 26 of the same year, to the rank of hieromonk ^[1] .

He continued to take care of the Ioakimovsky monastery in the village of Kutugertsi. The temple was rebuilt in about 5-6 years thanks to donations and consecrated in 2009 ^[2] . His intention to restore administrative buildings was not realized due to financial reasons ^[4] .

From 2010 to 2012 he was the diocesan councilor of the Plovdiv diocese ^[1] .

March 18, 2012 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and was appointed secretary of the Pazardzhik deanery. The following year he became Pazardzhik deanery ^[1] .

In 2013, as a representative of the Plovdiv Metropolitanate, he participated in the Council, which elected the Bulgarian patriarch ^[1] .

On December 14, 2016, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, he was elected titular bishop of Constantine with the appointment of the second vicar of the Plovdiv diocese ^[5] .

On December 20 of the same year, in the Assumption Cathedral in Pazardzhik , his episcopal consecration took place, which was performed by: Metropolitan of Plovdiv Nikolai (Sevastiyanov) , Metropolitan of Veliky Tarnovsky Grigory (Stefanov) , Metropolitan of Lovchansky Gavriil (Dinev) , Metropolitan Ivanov and Velikopreslav Neurocopian Seraphim (Dinkov) and the bishop of Starozagorsky Kiprian (Kazandzhiev) , the bishops of Melniksky Gerasim (Georgiev) , the bishop of Velichsky Siony (Radev) , the bishop of Branicki Grigory (Tsvetkov) , the bishop of Agafopol Hierofei (Kosakov) and Bishop Arseniy (Lazarov) of Znopolsky ^[6] .