Sveta Sofia is one of the capital's oldest churches, and gave the city its name. A subterranean museum houses an ancient necropolis, with 56 tombs and the remains of four other churches. Outside are the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and an eternal flame, and the grave of Ivan Vazov, Bulgaria's most revered writer.
Sveta Sofia Church
Top choice in Sofia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.09 MILES
One of the symbols not just of Sofia but of Bulgaria itself, this massive, awe-inspiring church was built between 1882 and 1912 in memory of the 200,000…
4.3 MILES
Tiny 13th-century Boyana Church is included on Unesco’s World Heritage list and its 90 murals are among the very finest examples of Bulgarian medieval…
0.34 MILES
Housed in a former mosque built in 1496, this museum displays a wealth of Thracian, Roman and medieval artefacts. Highlights include a mosaic floor from…
0.43 MILES
Built in the 4th century AD, this tiny red-brick church is Sofia's oldest preserved building. The murals inside were painted between the 10th and 14th…
2.51 MILES
If you wondered where all those unwanted statues of Lenin ended up, you'll find some here, along with the red star from atop Sofia's Party House. There's…
0.44 MILES
The history of Sofia is presented on two floors of the magnificent former Turkish Mineral Baths, just behind the mosque. Exhibitions are divided…
0.44 MILES
This remarkable, partly covered excavation site, situated just above the Serdika metro station, displays the remains of the Roman city, Serdica, that once…
0.15 MILES
This beautiful church with glittering mosaic exterior and golden domes was completed in 1914 for Sofia’s Russian community, and named in honour of St…
Nearby Sofia attractions
1. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
0.02 MILES
This monument is located on the southern side of Sveta Sofia Church, facing the Aleksander Nevski Church. It's marked by an eternal flame meant to…
2. Aleksander Nevski Cathedral
0.09 MILES
One of the symbols not just of Sofia but of Bulgaria itself, this massive, awe-inspiring church was built between 1882 and 1912 in memory of the 200,000…
0.1 MILES
Originally built as a final resting place for Bulgarian kings, this crypt now houses Bulgaria's biggest and best collection of icons, stretching back to…
4. Sveti Nikolai Russian Church
0.15 MILES
This beautiful church with glittering mosaic exterior and golden domes was completed in 1914 for Sofia’s Russian community, and named in honour of St…
5. National Gallery Quadrat 500
0.15 MILES
This massive visual-arts gallery combines the holdings of the National Gallery and the former Museum of Foreign Art. The result is several hundred…
6. Sofia University Botanical Garden
0.16 MILES
Sofia's small botanical garden includes a glasshouse filled with palms and cacti, a rose garden, and various trees and flowers (labelled in Bulgarian and…
7. National Museum of Natural History
0.16 MILES
You can almost sense the ghosts of generations of school parties dutifully trooping through the musty halls of Bulgaria's oldest museum, founded in 1889…
0.17 MILES
This imposing neoclassical palace houses the Bulgarian parliament and dates from the 1880s. It's normally closed to the public. Its likeness is traced on…