St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Overview

Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the main attractions in Sofia and the most important Orthodox church in Bulgaria, the seat of the country’s patriarch. 

The building of the cathedral was connected to Bulgaria’s liberation from the rule of the Ottoman Empire in 1879. Until that time Bulgarians didn’t have an army while the Russians had political interests in the region, the main part of the war was undertaken by the Russian army. After the end of the Russian-Turkish War of 1878-1879, the grateful Bulgarian people wanted to build a monument to all the brave men, Bulgarian and Russian, who fought and died for the liberation of the country.

It was decided that a magnificent Orthodox cathedral is what would best embody the memory of the sacrifice. The construction process took 30 years, as the ongoing wars at the time delayed the official opening of the cathedral for yet another 12 years, until 1924. It was also heavily damaged after the American and British bomb attacks in Sofia during WWII.

The cathedral was built in honor of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, also called "Tsar Liberator", whose army in 1878 liberated Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule. St. Alexander Nevsky, after whom the cathedral is named, was a Russian prince (1220-1263) - a great general and diplomat. He is a patron saint of the Russian Emperor Alexander II and is a symbol of Russian military glory.

In the foundations of the temple, there is an inbuilt metal box containing the names of the members of the then government. The imposing five-nave, cross-domed basilica in Neo-Byzantine style was consecrated on 24 August 1924. Famous Russian and Bulgarian artists were involved in painting its icons and frescoes. The basement crypt was originally designed to accommodate tombs, although no burials have been conducted there.