The studies and articles included in the collection and written by authors from different institutions and professional fields contribute to the elucidation and interpretation of various issues and aspects of the topic in a broad chronological range. The first part of the collection is dedicated to the creation, development and institutional consolidation of the Bulgarian Exarchate in the period prior to the Balkan Wars. The second section of the collection focuses on the participation of religious institutions in the complex national consolidation processes among the Bulgarian population in Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace up to and including the Balkan Wars. The third section opens up the topic of the collection for its broader regional and pan-European reading with a focus on its contemporary manifestations.