St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - SOFIA, BULGARIA

The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the Cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is believed to be one of the 50 largest Christian church buildings by volume in the worlds.

The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was designed by Alexander Pomerantsev and its construction started in 1882. The Cathedral was created in honour to the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule.

The Cathedral was named after Alexander Nevsky who was a 13th-century prince, later declared a saint, and who engaged in some of the toughest battles of the Kievan Rus. Saint Alexander Nevsky was the personal patron-saint of the Emperor Alexander II of Russia, who ruled the country during the liberation war of Bulgaria. He was chosen as the patron of the Cathedral as a gesture of respect and gratefulness.

It is one of Sofia’s symbols and primary tourist attractions.