Museum of Orthodox Art (Museum of the Catacombs of Saint Alexander Nevsky)

During the construction of the church of Saint Alexander Nevsky, the ground floor was planned as a mausoleum for the Bulgarian kings. With this decision, part of the church was left empty, however, no king was later buried here. This led to the formation of the Orthodox Museum in 1965 right inside the church's crypt. This is a branch of the National Gallery of Art.

Craftsmen and artists worked for 30 years to set up the museum inside the crypt before it could be opened to the public. Here, visitors can admire more than 300 frescoes and decorative elements of marble, onyx, plaster, gold are displayed, decorated delicately inside. In particular, the rich collection of Orthodox icons collected throughout the territory of Bulgaria is also displayed through the exhibition areas here. The period from the formal conversion of Orthodoxy under the Roman Empire in the 4th century to the Bulgarian National Renaissance in the 18th and 19th centuries is skillfully represented through icons, fragments frescoes, manuscripts, altar plates. All have cleverly highlighted the cultural and spiritual life of the Bulgarian people at that time and the strong influence of politics and society on their lives.

In fact, the icons on display in the Orthodox Museum today always captivate people, and through it, respect and admiration for the artists of that period is also aroused in people's hearts. see. Foreign exhibitions held at the museum also attracted great interest from people and brought about certain successes.

Visitors can visit the Orthodox Museum next to the church of Saint Alexander Nevsky through the interior entrance or the northwest gate of the church.

Website : www.nationalgallery.bg

Phone : +359 2 988 1704

Hours of Operation :

Tuesday - Sunday: 10:00 - 18:00

Closed on Mondays, Bulgarian official holidays, Christmas, New Year's Day and Easter.

Ticket price :

Adults: 6 BGN

Pupils, students and elves: 3 BGN

Thursday: 2 BGN