Church of St. Sofia

Church of St. Sofia has long been in the people's faith and is considered the oldest Catholic church in Bulgaria. The land on which the church is located was once the Roman Theater in the 2nd century, until the 4th century, up to 4 Christian temples were built here. Therefore, when the church of St. Sofia was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian, it is almost enveloped in spiritual mystique. And the city of Sofia is named after this Catholic church.

A legend that people believe about the formation of St. Sofia is about a beautiful princess named Sofia who comes to this city. Suddenly, she became seriously ill, fortunately people here saved her, after a while, she recovered and was healthy. To show gratitude for saving her life and praising God for saving her little life, Princess Sofia decided to build this church to dedicate to the city. Later, upon his death, the church of St. Sofia is also the resting place of the princess.

And perhaps it is because of the mysteries surrounding St. Sofia is like a protective shield that is never completely destroyed over time. It was destroyed by the Huns and Western Goths, later converted into a mosque during the Ottoman occupation of Sofia. Or even, the church goes against its main function, becoming a place of execution for death row prisoners, a warehouse for weapons for the army and a place for the city's fire brigade. Experiencing two major earthquakes, while everything was destroyed, the church of St. Sofia still stood up strongly waiting for the day to come back to serve the people with the title of a Catholic church.

The church is built with 1 main hall, 1 dome tower and 2 towers in the east with simple but luxurious architecture with Christian decorations and floral and animal prints. Upon entering the church of St. Sofia, visitors can see a statue of Saint Sofia with images representing faith, hope and love and statues of other saints, typically St. George and St. Vladimir. In order to keep the original architectural features, the most important reconstructions took place in the last century with functions and services renewed in 1930. For this reason, the structure is appreciated. It is considered as one of the most precious and ancient churches in Southeast Europe.

Website : www.pravmladeji.org

Phone : +359 2 987 0971

Hours of Operation :

08:00 - 18:00 weekdays