Ilarion Makariopolski was a Bulgarian clergyman from Elena who lived from 1812 to 1875. He took part in the movement for Bulgarians to govern their own church affairs. At Easter 1860 he led worship in wooden St Stephen’s in Constantinople, today’s Istanbul. He omitted Patriarch Cyril VII’s name, whose commemoration acknowledged the church leader’s authority. The church account interprets the omission as rejecting that authority. One service did not create an independent church recognised by everyone. The movement continued towards the Exarchate’s establishment in 1870. His role connects religious worship with the question of who governed the community. In 1872 he was appointed metropolitan of Tarnovo.
History of Bulgaria
