A hermit, a horseman, a saint: Bulgaria's euro coin designs

Ancient rock art, a patron saint and a monk will be among the designs emblazoned on euro coins from Thursday (January 1), when Bulgaria joins the single currency. 

The motifs are already on the lev, the currency Bulgaria adopted in 1881 and which is named after an archaic word meaning "lion".

Rider of independence

The Madara Rider, a rock relief created at the beginning of the eighth century during the first years of the formation of the Bulgarian state, graces the one, two, five, 10, 20 and fifty-cent euro coins.

The art work, showing a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a cliff near the village of Madara in northeast Bulgaria. The site has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979.

Patron saint

The one-euro coin features Bulgarian patron saint John of Rila (c. 876–946), regarded as the founder of the Rila Monastery, the largest in the country.

He is said to have become a hermit in the mountains and to have lived in the hollow of a centuries-old tree.

Monk who wrote key work

The two-euro coin features Paisius of Hilandar (1722–c. 1773), a monk of the Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos who wrote a key work of Bulgaria's national revival.

The edge of the coin bears the inscription: "God protect Bulgaria".

Euro's 21st member

Bulgaria, a Black Sea country on the European Union's southeast frontier, will be the 21st country to join the euro currency zone after it met the formal entry criteria this year, including for inflation, budget deficit, long-term borrowing costs and exchange-rate stability.

It comes three years after Croatia joined in January 2023 – the last country to do so – and will push the number of Europeans using the currency to more than 350 million. Becoming a member of the euro zone, apart from using euro notes and coins, also means a seat at the European Central Bank's rate-setting Governing Council.

While successive Bulgarian governments have tried to make the step since joining the EU in 2007, the Balkan country of 6.7 million people is split on the issue, polls show, although businesses are largely in favor.

Suspicions

Some fear it will push up prices, or are suspicious of a domestic political establishment in the throes of a crisis that saw the government step down in December amid widespread protests against proposed tax increases.

In a country with historic cultural and political ties to Russia, many are wary of further allegiance to Europe.

Some political analysts said the campaign promoting the euro has been weak, and that older people, especially in remote areas, will struggle to adapt. They said a lack of stable government may further complicate the change.

Still, in the streets and stores of Sofia, businesses have been preparing. Prices of everything from fruit to bottles of wine are displayed in both levs and euros. 

Government-funded billboards show the euro-lev exchange rate with a message saying: "Common past. Common future. Common currency." Television adverts have also flagged the coming change.