Showing 1-7 of 7 results
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Banya Bashi Mosque
Sofia's only working mosque was built in 1576 by the celebrated Ottoman architect Kodja Mimar Sinan, who also designed the Selim II Mosque in Edirne, Turkey. It's certainly an eye-catching edifice and the red brick minaret makes a convenient landmark. At the rear of the building is a small, recently excavated section of the bathhouse that once joined onto the mosque and a hot-water drinking fountain. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times if modestly dressed.
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Church of Sveta Sofia
There has been a church on this site since the mid-4th century, although the Church of Sveta Sofia as it stands today is a much-restored 6th-century foundation, making it the oldest Orthodox church in the Bulgarian capital, to which it eventually gave its name. The church fell victim to invading hordes, fires and earthquakes several times over the centuries, and after a devastating 1858 earthquake, the building, then used as a mosque, was abandoned.
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Sofia Synagogue
Sofia's grand synagogue was designed in a flamboyant Moorish style by the Austrian architect Friedrich Gruenanger, and was consecrated in 1909. Built to accommodate up to 1170 worshippers, it is the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe, and its 2250kg brass chandelier is the biggest in Bulgaria. However, visitors are only admitted if invited or of the Jewish faith.
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Sveta Petka Samardjiiska Church
The tiny Sveta Petka Samardjiiska Church is incongruously located in the underpass below the Tsum Retail Centre. Named in honour of St Peter of the Saddlers, the church was built during the early years of Ottoman rule (late 14th century), which explains its sunken profile and inconspicuous exterior. Inside there are some 16th-century murals, but nothing is explained in any language. It's rumoured that the Bulgarian freedom fighter and national icon Vasil Levski is buried here.
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Sveti Georgi Rotunda
Regarded as the oldest preserved building in Sofia, the Sveti Georgi Rotunda, in the courtyard between the Sheraton Hotel and the Presidency, dates from the 4th century AD. This circular Roman structure, also known as the Church of St George, was largely rebuilt in the 6th century after being knocked about by invading Huns and in the 16th century was converted into a mosque. It was badly damaged by bombing during WWII and only fully opened to visitors again in 1998 after much restoration.
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Sveti Nikolai Russian Church
The gorgeous Sveti Nikolai Russian Church with its glittering mosaic exterior was built between 1912 and 1914 for Sofia's Russian community, and named in honour of St Nikolai, the 'miracle worker'. The design is strongly influenced by Russian architecture, most notably in its five golden onion domes. The surprisingly cramped interior features colourful murals and icons painted between the 11th and 14th centuries.
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Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church
Set in a leafy garden just off the main road, the Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church, or Church of the Seven Saints, as it's known in its more tongue-friendly translation, is dedicated to Sts Cyril and Methodius and their five disciples. Originally built as a mosque in 1528, it had already fallen into disuse by the time the Russians came along in 1878 and turned it into an arms depot.
Showing 1-7 of 7 results
