Tzar Boris III of Bulgaria and his family

[popov_2000]

Two pictures of Tsaritsa Ioanna.

The first picture was taken in Madrid in 1991 at the home of Simeon II. On the picture you can see Ioanna and her son Simeon II.

The second picture was taken in Portugal in 1998 at the home of Ioanna. On the picture you can see Ioanna and then Bulgarian President Peter Stoyanov with his wife.

[popov_2000]

On this web site you can see photos of "Saint Ivan of Rila" Church.

http://www.rilaeu.com/p1bgeu1.htm

[Marlene]

It seemed to me that Princess Giovanna had at some point converted to orthodoxy. I remember reading that during her exile in Portugal catholic royals were reluctant to meet her because of that. Need to check my sources.

Giovanna never converted.  She remained Roman Catholic but raised her children in the Orthodox church.  She had a Roman Catholic funeral.  

[Marlene]

Angelo Roncalli was Apostolic Nuncio to Bulgaria from 1925 to 1935. He helped arrange the wedding between Tsar Boris III and Princess Giovanna. After the Orthodox wedding in Sofia he helped Tsaritsa Ioanna, because The Vatican was angry with her. I do not know if they were angry because of a simple wedding or maybe even conversion. Angelo Roncalli was a family friend to the Bulgarian Royal family. Angelo Roncalli would also later become Pope John XXIII.

See my article, A Bride for Boris, in the June 2005 issue of Royalty Digest.   Ferdinand was exommunicated from the Catholic church because of his decision to have his eldest son, Boris rebaptised into the Orthodox church.  He had "promised" the Pope at the time of his marriage to the very Catholic Princess Marie Louise of Parma that the children of their marriage would be RC.  Marie Louise was not thrilled to say the least when this happened ... The other children were raised Catholic.

Boris and Giovanna did not suffer the same sort of wrath from the Catholic church ... Boris had paid lipservice to Rome, about the children of the marriage,  but when Marie Louise was born in 1933, she was baptised in the Orthodox church.  Boris could not be excommunicated, and Givoanna was not excommunicated.  She knew that the children had to be Orthodox.  It was never an issue for her.  But she herself retained to Catholic faith.

[popov_2000]

Even if she remained Catholic, she believed equally in both the Catholic and the Orthodox religion. Like I said, Ioanna herself build an Orthodox Church in her home. The name of this Church was “Saint Ivan of Rila”. There were regular masses held by Orthodox Priests in the Church and attended by Ioanna. The Church was not Catholic and you can see the pictures from this Church on the link I posted.

Simeon II have said that his mother wanted to be buried in Bulgaria next to her husband. However, since the body of Boris III was never found Ioanna was buried in Italy.

[SSKENDER]

Even if she remained Catholic, she believed equally in both the Catholic and the Orthodox religion. Like I said, Ioanna herself build an Orthodox Church in her home. The name of this Church was “Saint Ivan of Rila”. There were regular masses held by Orthodox Priests in the Church and attended by Ioanna. The Church was not Catholic and you can see the pictures from this Church on the link I posted.

Simeon II have said that his mother wanted to be buried in Bulgaria next to her husband. However, since the body of Boris III was never found Ioanna was buried in Italy.

One need not be Orthodox to attend an Orthodox liturgy, and likewise, one need not be Roman Catholic to attend a Roman Catholic mass.

I'm sure she was interested in Orthodoxy, and new enough about it, to incorporate a part of Bulgaria in her life, but we know, as already stated, that she remained Catholic.

Regards

[popov_2000]

I think all of the Bulgarian consorts kept their original religion.

Princess Maria Luisa was Catholic. There was just one wedding between Ferdinand I and Maria Luisa, and it was Catholic. When she died she was buried in the Catholic Cathedral in Plovdiv. Pope John Paul II gave mass in this same Cathedral in 2002.

Tsaritsa Eleonora was Protestant. When she married Ferdinand I there were two weddings. One wedding was Catholic because of Ferdinand I and the other wedding was Protestant because of Eleonora. When she died Eleonora was buried in an Orthodox Cemetery next to Boyana Church. Eleonora loved that church and her final wish was to be buried there.

Tsaritsa Ioanna was Catholic. When she married Boris III there were two weddings. One wedding was Catholic because of Ioanna and the other wedding was Orthodox because of Boris III. When she died she wish to be buried next to her husband if his body was found. Because it was not she was buried in Assisi, Italy.

Tsaritsa Margarita is Catholic. When she married Simeon II there were three weddings. One wedding was Catholic because of Margarita, another wedding was Orthodox because of Simeon II and the third wedding was civil.

[gleb]

I understand that she didn't convert, but not because she was Catholic or even because she was Italian... other Catholics HAVE converted throughout history, haven't they? I just wondered... Will she be interred in Bulgaria or is she to remain in Assisi?

The point is that she was a SABAUDIAN Princess and no Princess of this House ever converted or changed religion. Princess Giovanna wouldn't have obtained the permission and moreoever she married in 1930 one year after the Concordato with the Catholic Church of Rome.

[boyar]

I understand that she didn't convert, but not because she was Catholic or even because she was Italian... other Catholics HAVE converted throughout history, haven't they? I just wondered... Will she be interred in Bulgaria or is she to remain in Assisi?

The point is that she was a SABAUDIAN Princess and no Princess of this House ever converted or changed religion. Princess Giovanna wouldn't have obtained the permission and moreoever she married in 1930 one year after the Concordato with the Catholic Church of Rome.

You are right, Tsaritsa Ioanna was most likely Catholic until the day she died. However, even if Princess Giovanna was not officially baptized into the Orthodox religion, it does not mean that she did not practiced it. Tsaritsa Ioanna was married to Boris III who was an Orthodox and spend 16 years in Bulgaria. Her children were also Orthodox. In addition, she did have an Orthodox Chapel build next to her home in Portugal where she attended regular services.

[gleb]

You are right, Tsaritsa Ioanna was most likely Catholic until the day she died. However, even if Princess Giovanna was not officially baptized into the Orthodox religion, it does not mean that she did not practiced it. Tsaritsa Ioanna was married to Boris III who was an Orthodox and spend 16 years in Bulgaria. Her children were also Orthodox. In addition, she did have an Orthodox Chapel build next to her home in Portugal where she attended regular services.

I think she was surely fascinated by the richness of the Orthodox Church, and who wouldn't be?
In any case Catholic or Orthodox doesn't mean much. She was just a Christian who had been baptized in the Church of Rome and who was not asked to convert.

She was devoted to the Pope and to Saints who belong traditionally to the Santa Romana Chiesa, but I am sure she had to chance to know the Orthodox Saints and appreciate them and their particular message.

Gleb

[boyar]

You are right, Tsaritsa Ioanna was most likely Catholic until the day she died. However, even if Princess Giovanna was not officially baptized into the Orthodox religion, it does not mean that she did not practiced it. Tsaritsa Ioanna was married to Boris III who was an Orthodox and spend 16 years in Bulgaria. Her children were also Orthodox. In addition, she did have an Orthodox Chapel build next to her home in Portugal where she attended regular services.

I think she was surely fascinated by the richness of the Orthodox Church, and who wouldn't be?
In any case Catholic or Orthodox doesn't mean much. She was just a Christian who had been baptized in the Church of Rome and who was not asked to convert.

She was devoted to the Pope and to Saints who belong traditionally to the Santa Romana Chiesa, but I am sure she had to chance to know the Orthodox Saints and appreciate them and their particular message.

Gleb

Well, the name of the Orthodox Church Tsaritsa Ioanna build in Portugal was Saint Ivan of Rila. Saint Ivan of Rila was a Bulgarian who lived from 876 to 946. He is a Saint for the Bulgarians. However, he was also proclaimed Saint of the Roman Catholic Church by one of the Popes.

[dvoretzky]

Re Saint John of Rila:
"Papal Address at Orthodox Monastery of St. John of Rila

RILA, Bulgaria, MAY 26, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address John Paul II delivered Saturday morning when he visited the Orthodox Monastery of St. John of Rila, considered the spiritual heart of Bulgaria...
'In the course of my visit to Bulgaria, I wanted to make this pilgrimage to Rila to venerate the relics of the holy monk John and to express gratitude and affection to all of you: "We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes 1:2-3)...
Blessed John of Rila -- whom I arranged to have depicted along with other holy men and women of East and West in the mosaic of the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, and to whom this Monastery bears enduring witness -- when he heard Jesus´ words calling him to renounce all his possessions and give them to the poor (cf. Mk 10:21), left everything for the precious pearl of the Gospel, and placed himself under the tutelage of holy ascetics in order to learn the art of spiritual combat...'
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=21201  

[boyar]

I read something interesting about Tsar Boris III and Tsaritsa Ioanna.

Tsar Boris III met Princess Giovanna for a first time in 1927 while he was traveling across Europe with his brother Prince Kyril. Tsaritsa Ioanna remembers that back then the Bulgarian monarch did not indicate in any way that he was interested in the Italian Princess. The proposal for marriage was made later through Prince Kyril and Princess Mafalda. The second time Tsar Boris III met Princess Giovanna was on January 8, 1930 when they both attended the wedding of Crown Prince Umberto and the Belgian Princess Maria Jose.

The troubles came when the religion of the future children had to be decided. The Roman Catholic Church wanted Tsar Boris III to sign a document that all the children will be Catholic. However, the Tsar said that he can not do anything like that and he can just give them his word. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church suggested that the boys will be Orthodox and the girls will be Catholic. The negotiations were so intense that at the end the Bulgarian Church agreed for only the hair to the throne to be Orthodox and all other children Catholics.

Tsar Boris III was very upset with all this and he even suspended the negations. The Tsar declared that if he do not marry Giovanna he would stay bachelor and not marry anyone else. The Princess on the other hand declared that if she does not marry Boris she will become a nun and go into a Monastery. However, at the end everything turned fine.

There were two weddings. Princess Giovanna wanted to marry in Assisi. And so on October 25, 1930, Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria married Princess Giovanna of Italy in Assisi. They left Italy on the most luxurious Bulgarian liner of the time “Tsar Ferdinand I”. The first time the new Tsaritsa set foot on Bulgarian soil in the city of Burgas. The second wedding was in the Saint Alexander Nevski Cathedral. The wedding was an Orthodox and during this wedding Tsaritsa Giovanna became Tsaritsa Ioanna. This was the Bulgarian name she accepted.  

[gleb]

If she did not converted to the Orthodox Christianity at least she paid respect to it as seen in this picture.

After all her mother had been an Orthodox Princess.

[boyar]

A couple of years ago I read in a Bulgarian newspaper that the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) was filming a movie about Tsar Boris III. I am not sure if it was a TV movie or TV mini-series. Can someone help me and tell me more about it. What was the name and when did it air?

Thank you very much!