Culture of Sofia. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

» The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a cathedral dedicated to Russian soldiers who freed Bulgaria of the Turkish yoke. The cathedral was built by patriots of Bessarabia, Dobrudzha, Austria, and Russia.
»  In 1882, the first stone was laid. The construction lasted from 1904 to 1912. It had been named after Saint Cyrill and Methodius until 1920. The cathedral was declared a cultural monument only in 1924.
»  The building was designed by Russian architects I. Bogomolov and A. Pomerantsev. The cathedral was built and decorated with Russian and Bulgarian architects and artists. The iconostasis of the cathedral is decorated with two icons painted by V. M. Vasnetsov.
»  The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in the pearl frame was donated to the cathedral by Aleksey I, a Russian patriarch.
»  The total area of the building is 2 600 m2, so it can accommodate about 5 000 people at the same time. The bell tower has 12 bells made in Moscow. The biggest bell weighs 12 tons. The sound of bells is heard even beyond the city.
»  Nowadays, the cathedral is the residence of Bulgarian patriarchs. It also appeared in two films: “Hitman” and “Ninja”.

» The Saint Sofia Church or the Basilica of Saint Sofia is the oldest church that has survived to this day. The first churches were built here already in the 3rd century. They were destroyed during barbarians’ raids. In 537, the Saint Sofia Church was reconstructed on the initiative of Emperor Justinian I.
»  In the late 16th century, during the Ottoman invasion, Turks turned the Orthodox Church into a mosque, built a minaret, and got rid of paintings. In 1858, the minaret was destroyed by an earthquake, so Turks rebuilt it into a warehouse.
»  The church was repeatedly restored in the 20th century and finally gained its original appearance. In 1998, the basilica was opened for parishioners.
»  During archaeological excavations, catacombs with graves were found under the building. You can also see the fragment of the painting of the first church.
»  In 1955, the Saint Sofia Church was declared a cultural monument.

» The National Gallery for Foreign Art houses the collection received from the National Art Gallery in 1985. The gallery was founded by the Fund of Lyudmila Zhivkova, the daughter of Todor Zhivkov. Many exhibits were donated from private collections.
»  The gallery occupies four floors of an old mansion. The collection of foreign art includes 10 000 exhibits.
»  In the halls, you can see paintings and sculptures of Western European masters: Rembrandt, M. Chagall, F. Giya, S. Dali, P. Picasso, and Roden.
»  The gallery houses over 200 works of Nikolai Roerich and his son Svetoslav.
»  Here, you can also see the big and interesting collection of different decorative items from Africa, Japan, India, and Asia.

» The Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church, or Seven Saints Church, was built at the site of the Black Mosque in 1903. The mosque was called like this because its minaret was made of black marble. The Black Mosque was founded in 1528.
»  When Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire, it was abandoned and dilapidated. The Christian Church was rebuilt on the initiative of A. N. Pomerantsev. A bell tower with four bells was constructed. The church was consecrated in honor of St. Cyril and Methodius and their followers: Savva, Clement, Nahum, Angelar, and Gorazd.
»  When the church was rebuilt, the excavations were conducted. Under the foundation, the fragments of an old Christian Church dating back to the 5th century were found. Also, the fragments of Asklepion, the temple of the Roman god of medicine Asklepios where people were treated, were found here.

» The National Art Gallery is located in the former residence of Prince Alexander of Battenberg. It was built in 1873. Pieces of art started to be collected in 1892. The sector in the Archeology Museum was allocated for them.
»  When the collection was big enough, an art gallery was opened. In 1952, the gallery occupied some rooms in the palace.
»  The collection includes paintings and sculptures of Bulgarian National Revival artists (1878).
»  Medieval icons that are real treasures of the gallery are kept and displayed at the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
»  The gallery houses 50 000 works made by 3 000 Bulgarian masters.
»  The National Gallery also includes home-museums of artists Vera Nedkova and Nikola Tanev and sculptor Ivan Lazarov.