Paisius of Hilendar

The monk and historian Paisius of Hilendar (1722–1773). To the right, the country name 'БЪЛГАРИЯ' (Bulgaria); along the left edge, the inscription 'ЕВРО' (Euro) and the year '2026'.

Paisius of Hilandar was a Bulgarian monk who, in 1762, wrote his "Slavonic-Bulgarian History", a foundational text for the emergence of modern Bulgarian national identity. In it, he urged his compatriots to take pride in their own language, culture and history rather than assimilate into other cultures – a call widely seen as the starting point of the Bulgarian National Revival (Vazrazhdane) in the 18th and 19th centuries. He wrote the work at the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos, which gave him his epithet.