Russian Church

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox cathedral of Neo- Byzantine style built between 1882 and 1912. Comprising five naves and three altars and can hold nearly 10,000 worshipers, it is the largest cathedral on the Balkan Peninsula, one of the largest cathedrals in the Orthodox world and one of the symbols of Sofia.

The former mosque is the oldest building of its kind in Sofia. The mosque with its squared plan has nine domes of equal diameter. They are supported by pointed arches and covered with leaden sheets. The middle ones are higher and ‘the entire space, through a special system of domes and arches, is an absolutely symmetrical construction, and it’s on this symmetry, harmony and equality among all its parts, that the major artistic effect is due. During the Russian-Turkish War (1877-1878) the mosque was turned into a hospital. Later it was a library, museum and printing house, and since 1892 it has housed the National Archaeological Institute With Museum .

Saint Sofia Church is located in the center of Sofia. The first church was built on this site in the 4th century, with the support of Emperor Constantine I. The temple has been preserved, and the Orthodox worship there is held since 1700 years, although during the Turkish yoke (1396–1878) it was transformed into a mosque.