Church St. George Rotunda

Overview

The Church St. George Rotunda is the oldest surviving building in Sofia. It is a red-brick domed rotunda with a circular plan on a square base with semicircular niches in the corners. Since the 4th century, it has been used for baptismal ceremonies.

It is located in the courtyard of the Presidential building, near the remains of the ancient fortress of Serdica.

The original function of the rotunda is still debated. Some say it was built as a bath, others argue that since it was located in the centre of 2nd century AD Roman public buildings, it likely had a religious and ceremonial function. Emperor Constantine the Great turned the Rotunda into a Christian temple, which survived until the invasion of Attila's Huns, when it was almost completely destroyed. It was reconstructed during the reign of Emperor Justinian.

During the reign of Sultan Selim I (16th century), the church was turned into a mosque, the 'Gyul Mosque'. A minaret was constructed, and the Early Christian art was painted over with Islamic decorative elements. The original frescoes (3 layers) were only uncovered during restoration works in the 20th century.

After Ottomans, the building was all but ignored until the death of Alexander of Battenberg in 1893 when it was used as his temporary mausoleum. The first restoration work started in 1915: the minaret was destroyed, the interior plaster used to cover the Medieval frescoes was removed and the paintings cleaned. Weekday services were then resumed and are still performed today.