St. Sofia Church

  • Located 6 kilometers northwest of hotel
  • Working hours are 09:00 to 19:00
  • Available 7 days a week

If St.George is the oldest church then St.Sofia is the oldest Eastern Orthodox church in Sofia with a long and fascinating history. It is a recently restored Byzantine church. It was built on the site of several earlier churches and places of worship dating back to the days when it was the necropolis of the Roman town Serdica (named after the Thracian Serdii tribe who originally inhabited the area). In the 2nd century, it was the location of a theatre used by the Romans for bloody public spectacles, such as the persecution and sacrifice of Christians in battles against gladiators and various wild beasts. Over the next few centuries, several other churches were erected, only to be destroyed by invading forces such as the Goths and the Huns. “St. Sofia” church is now one of the most valuable pieces of early Christian architecture in the Balkans, according to scholars. The present building is a cross basilica with three altars. According to popular lore, St Sophia's miraculous powers protected the lovely building over the centuries, warding off human invasions and natural disasters to keep the church as an instance of the elegant, austere and symmetrical architecture of the age.