On March 28, we commemorate Enravota

“And so Enravota, struck in the heart by the sweet arrow of
love for the sweetest Jesus, took to heart the words of
the wise Cinnamon, seized them like bait on a hook, and
began to yearn and burn for the Christian faith….”

“The Martyrdom of the 15 Martyrs of Tiberioupolis”
Theophylact, Archbishop of Ohrid

Upon his death, Khan Omurtag (814–831) left behind three sons: the eldest, Enravota—also known as Boyan—Zvinitsa, and Malamir, who succeeded to the throne.

At the court of Khan Malamir (831–836) there was a captive—an educated and capable Greek named Cinnamon, who had likely held a high administrative or ecclesiastical office in the Byzantine Empire. Captured near Adrianople as early as the reign of Khan Krum (803–814), he was drawn into the administration of the Bulgarian state. His strong attachment to the Christian faith aroused suspicion among the ruler’s entourage. He was likely imprisoned by Khan Omurtag for refusing to participate in pagan rituals. Only after the ruler’s death, at Enravota’s request and perhaps due to his abilities, was he released. As a result of Kinnamon’s strong influence on the khan’s son, the latter adopted the Christian faith of his subordinate. This act was highly undesirable, given the high position Enravota held in the state apparatus of pagan Bulgaria. At that time, Christianity was associated primarily with Byzantine propaganda and influence, and his conversion appeared to be a political conspiracy. Despite his brother, Khan Malamir, pleading in vain for him to renounce Christianity and return to the old deities, Enravota remained unyielding. The khan ordered his execution, and he was beheaded with a sword. According to Theophylact of Ohrid, his death occurred three years before that of Khan Malamir, likely in 833. Shortly thereafter, Enravota was proclaimed a martyr, and his memory is honored on March 28.

Text: Boril Nikolaev