Eight Churches, a Synagogue and a Mosque.

There are so many beautiful churches, some are hard to spell and pronounce! I hope I have not made any mistakes in my write up below. What is pretty unique is that there are churches, a Synagogue and Mosque within such close proximity to each other.

Aleksandur Nevski Church

This wonderful 19th-20th century golden domed church is at the end of Moskovska Street and can be seen from some distance.

Church of Sveta Sofia

Tucked away near Aleksander Nevski Church is Sofia’s oldest surviving church which is a modest affair in comparison. The museum in the basement is worth the small entry fee.

Russian Church

The tall spires with their golden domes and a cross at the very top is a wonderful sight. I loved the way the cross captured the sunlight in the above photo. It is an early 20th century construction. The interior is covered with frescos.

Church of Sveta Petka

This tiny church, near the monument to Sveta Sofia and next to Serdika Metro was built in the 11th Century and has fragments of 16th Century frescos inside. The entrance is through the crypt down the stairs to the left of the church.

Church of Sveta Nedelya

This distinctive 19th Century church [which is actually a Cathedral] with its large central mushroom shaped dome is at the top of Bulevard Vitosha [the opposite end to NDK]. It was badly bomb damaged in 1925 in an attempt by Communist extremists to kill Tsar Boris III, [he survived].

Church of Sveti Sedmochislenitsi

This delightful church is in a small park by a children’s play area. There are market stalls on the road that runs by it. Unusually, it was originally a Mosque in the 16th Century, then a prison and finally consecrated as a church in the early 20th Century.

Sveta Paraskeva

We kept stumbling past this church on the way back to our hotel after dinner. We thought it looked like a melting marshmallow or Baked Alaska.

Rotunda of Sveti Georgi

This small church near Serdika Metro is easy to miss unless you are actively looking for it as it is tucked away in the attractive courtyard between a hotel and the Presidency building. The inside of the church is adorned with ancient frescos. The building has been used as a church for over 1400 years.

Banya Bashi Mosque

Amazingly, this is the first Mosque I had ever entered! The experience is so different to the many churches and synagogues I have visited due to the absence of any seating. The huge brand new carpet was lush and bouncy and toddlers were running around having a good time. The Mosque was built in in 1576.

Sofia Synagogue

Just around the corner from the Mosque is the attractive early 20th Century Moorish styled Synagogue. The huge central chandelier is impressive and the interior is attractively decorated with Moorish mosaics making this Synagogue quite unique.