The sacred symbol of the Bulgarian capital, the main shrine of Sofia, the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, towering in the very center of the city on Alexander Nevsky Square, is not just a Christian church, but a real monument, the dominant of the entire city and the most visited tourist attraction.

The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia was built in 1912 by the famous Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev. The majestic monument of sacred architecture, 45 meters high, was consecrated in honor of the Grand Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky. The grand religious building with a total area of ​​more than 3 thousand square meters can simultaneously accommodate up to 5 thousand people. This fact bracketing it with the largest European cathedrals. The construction of the delightful Byzantine-style building in the historic center of the Bulgarian capital lasted 8 years. As soon as the church was completed, it began to invite Orthodox believers to the daily service with the ringing of 12 cast bells weighing 23 tons. The ringing of these bells can be heard even at a distance of 30 kilometers.

However, the legendary cathedral is visited not only by Christians. Travelers of all faiths and even atheists travel thousands of miles to enjoy the beauty and grandeur of the church exterior and its luxurious interior decorations. The interiors of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral are adorned with original frescoes and oil-painted icons. Its walls are covered with 273 frescoes by 17 great painters. There are works of such masters as Viktor Vasnetsov and Pyotr Myasoedov. But most of the frescoes were created by the talented Bulgarian artist Tachev.

The 82 well-created icons amaze even connoisseurs of painting and sacred art. The main one is the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God, which was given to the cathedral by the former bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy I. The famous painting depicting King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria with his queen and all the other mosaic panels were specially brought from Germany and Italy.