On September 10, 2024, the Holy Synod of the Church of Bulgaria, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria, decided to ordain Archimandrite Meletios (Spasov), Dean of the Sofia Theological Seminary “St. John of Rila”, to the rank of Bishop.
The ordination will take place on September 15 (Sunday) at 9:00 a.m. in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky. After the ordination, Mr. Meletios will continue his work as the Dean of the Sofia Theological Seminary “St. John of Rila”.
Biography of Archimandrite Meletios (Spasov)
Archimandrite Meletius (Spasov) was born in 1985 in Sofia. He completed his secondary education at the 31st General Gymnasium “Ivan Vazov” with a specialization in the German language in 2005.
In the same year, he was admitted to the Theological School of the Sofia University “St. Clement of Ohrid”, where he graduated in 2009 with a degree in theology and pedagogical qualification.
In the academic year 2007-2008, he specialized in theology at the University of Jena, Germany.
In 2013 he successfully graduated as a postgraduate student at the Department of Classical Philology at the University of Sofia.
Since 2012, he has been a novice at the Divotino Monastery, where on June 23, 2014, he received monastic vows from Bishop Grigory of Branick, accompanied by the Abbot Archimandrite Pachomius.
In 2015 he was ordained deacon and priest-monk by Bishop Grigory.
In 2016-2017 he was sent for theological specialization to the Higher Church School “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” in Moscow.
From 2017 he was appointed as the Vice Dean of the Sofia Theological Seminary and Professor of the New Testament. Since then he has also led the seminary choir.
Since 2018, he has been an external doctoral candidate in philosophy at the Sofia University “St. Clement of Ohrid”. On June 29, 2022 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora.
