Church of St. Sofia description and photos - Bulgaria: Sofia (Topic)

Church of St. Sofia description and photos - Bulgaria: Sofia. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Church of St. Sofia.

Photo and description

Hagia Sophia is located in the center of Bulgaria, not far from the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky. This is one of the oldest temples in Sofia, and its history is directly related to the history of the city.

Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century, during the reign of Emperor Justinian, on the cemetery of Serdika (this is the ancient name of Sofia), old temples of the 4th century, and stone tombs. In the period from XI to XIV century, the church was metropolitan. The significance of this temple in those days was so great that people began to call the city itself by its name - "Sophia" (which is translated into Russian as "wisdom"). From the XIV century, this name became official. During the Ottoman period, the building was used as a mosque, and the wall paintings were destroyed. Major earthquakes in the 18th and 58th years of the 19th century damaged the building, which Muslims took as a bad omen, and the temple was abandoned. After Bulgaria gained national independence, the mosque church was turned into a warehouse. We also recommend reading Museum of unique technology ”Myshkinsky Samokhod” description and photo - Russia - Central district: Myshkin

The building was restored several times, and now its appearance is as close as possible to its appearance from the period of late antiquity - the early Middle Ages. Since the beginning of the 20th century, archaeological surveys have also been carried out here. In particular, fragments of a mosaic of one of the ancient temples previously located on this site were discovered.

Behind the church is the grave of Ivan Vazov (a famous Bulgarian writer). Next to the building, you can see the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, which is a symbol of memory of the soldiers who died in the struggle for their homeland.

Topic: Church of St. Sofia description and photos - Bulgaria: Sofia.