Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WALKING TOUR
CATHEDRALS TO MARKETS
Start:
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Finish:
Zhenski Pazar.
Time:
With one or two stops you're looking at around 4 hours.
The best time to do the tour is on a Saturday or Sunday, when the churches are at their
most atmospheric, and the City Park is filled with quirky Bulgarians and buzzing
cafes. Note that Monday sees most of the museums closed.
1
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
& Icon Museum
It makes sense to kick off at the gold-
domed Alexander Nevski Cathedral,
iconic emblem of the capital, and largest
in the Balkans. Built in memory of the
Russian soldiers who died during the
1877-78 war that helped Bulgaria lift the
Ottoman “Yoke of Oppression,” it was
designed by a Russian architect and
named after the patron saint of the Russ-
ian “Tsar Liberator.” The sheer scale of
the richly decorated interior—said to
hold 7,000—deserves a visit, particularly
during one of the services. Even more so
the crypt, which houses the
Icon
Museum.
Charting the history of Bulgar-
ian iconography from the end of the 4th
century to the end of the 19th century
National Revival period, this selection of
beautiful paintings—far superior to any-
thing to in the rest of the National
Gallery's collection—is an absolute must-
see. Also on the A. Nevsky Square (to the
right with the cathedral behind you),
burns the Eternal Flame of the Unknown
Soldier, lit in 1981 in memory of all those
who lost their lives in war. Just beyond
this is the entrance to:
2
St. (Sveti) Sofia Church
Established in the 5th century, St. Sofia
(open 9am-6pm) is the city's oldest East-
ern Orthodox Church, and gave the city
her name during the 15th century.
Recently restored, it has undergone vari-
ous reincarnations (including as a
mosque during Ottoman rule, aban-
doned after two earthquakes toppled the
minaret and cost the then-Imam two
sons), but a few remnants of its ancient
past remain—look out for the fragment
of original Roman mosaic flooring in the
right-hand aisle. The simple red brick
interior—austere by Orthodox stan-
dards—is beautiful, and the church has
become a very popular venue for week-
end weddings. From here you might want
to stroll around the stalls set up on the
square (see “Shopping,” below), or pro-
ceed directly south down Rakovski Street
then turn west into Tsar Osvoboditel,
turning your back on the statue of the
Russian Tsar Alexander II on horseback,
and head along its yellow bricks to the:
3
Russian Church of
St. Nicholas
Hastily built in 1912 to 1914, apparently
to serve the needs of a neurotic Russian
diplomat who felt that Bulgarian Ortho-
dox traditions bordered on the heretic, the
Russian Church (Tsar Osvoboditel 3;
8am-6:30pm) is my favorite in Sofia. It's
not as grand as Alexander Nefski, but the
small interior is huge on atmosphere, with
weekends seeing plenty of devoted wor-
shipers milling around to bow or kiss the
various icons. A path to the left leads to
the crypt, where Sofians post their prayers
into the box next to the marble sarcopha-
gus of Archbishop Serafim, head of the
Russian church in Bulgaria in the early
20th century. Continue along Tsar Osvo-
boditel. The grand building on the right is
the former Royal Palace, built in 1873 for
the then governor during the Ottoman
occupation, and today housing the:
