Metropolitan Ioanikiy of Sliven died at the age of 84. The mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, announced the sad news on social networks.
“It is with deep sadness that I share the news of the death of our Bishop, Sliven Metropolitan Ioanikiy. He was with us, the people of Burgas, both in good and in bad. His kindness, wisdom and love will remain forever in our hearts! Rest in peace! I’ll miss! Farewell!”he also shares.
Metropolitan Ioanikiy’s secular name is Ivan Georgiev Nedelchev. He was born on 02.03.1939 in the village of Pet Mogili, Sliven region. After completing his primary education, in the fall of 1953, he was accepted as a student at the Sofia Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1958. From September 1960, he was a student at the Theological Academy “St. Kliment Ohridski” in Sofia, which graduated in 1964.
During his studies there, on 01.04.1961, in the Mugli monastery “St. Nikolay” was ordained a monk with the name Ioanikiy by Metropolitan Kliment of Stara Zagora under the spiritual eldership of Archimandrite Gerasim (later Bishop of Branitsa). On 28.08. in the year “Uspenie Bogorodichno” in Pazardzhik, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon by Bishop Stefan of Glavinitsa, Vicar of the Metropolitan of Plovdiv (later Metropolitan of Veliko Tarnovo).
On 17.03.1963 in the chapel of the Theological Academy “St. Kliment Ohridski” in the city of Sofia was ordained as a hieromonk by the then rector, Bishop Nikolay of Makariopol. From 14.10.1964 to 1966 Hieromonk Ioanikiy studied theology at the Moscow Theological Academy. After his return to Bulgaria, from 01.08.1966 he was appointed protosingle of the Sliven Metropolis.
During his ministry on 24.11.1968, by decision of St. Synod in the Sliven Cathedral “St. Dimitar” was raised to the rank of archimandrite by Metropolitan Nikodim of Sliven. Since the end of 1968, Archimandrite Ioanikiy has been proto-single of the Stara Zagora Metropolis.
From 14.10.1970 to 10.12.1971, he was on a scientific specialization at the Old Catholic Faculty of Theology in the city of Bern, Switzerland. From the end of December 1971, he was once again proto-single of the Sliven Metropolis, a position he held until April 1975.
As such, on 20/04/1975 in the Patriarchal Cathedral “St. Alexander Nevski” was ordained to the episcopal rank with the title “Velichki” and was appointed vicar of Sliven Metropolitan Nikodim, which position he held until the end of January 1980. On 23.03.1980 he was elected, and on 13.04. He was also canonically confirmed as Metropolitan of Sliven.
