Andrew Petkov

He was born Stoyan Petkov on 31 December 1886 in Vrachesh, a village in Botevgrad Municipality.

In 1903 he entered the Sofia Seminary where he graduated in 1909 and continued his education in the Moscow Theological Academy in Russia between 1911 and 1916.

Again in his motherland he consecutively worked as: a secretary and inspector with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1919–1921); a teacher in Sofia Seminary (1921–1926); a head of culture department with the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (1926–1929).

After being ordained as hierodeacon and later archimandrite, on 20 April 1929 he became a titular bishop with the title Velichki and appointed as a vicar to Simeon, Metropolitan of Varna and Preslav.

He died in 1972 and was buried in the St. John of Rila Church, Targovishte that was reconstructed with his donation during the 1970s.