The St. Alexander Nevski Memorial Church
The St. Alexander Nevski Memorial Church. The temple, which can accommodate 7000 people, is the largest on the Balkan Peninsula.
When It is calm and quiet, the bell of St. Alexander Nevski can be heard 30 km away from Sofia. This is because the largest bell, which weighs 12 tons, and the other eleven bell are mounted at a height of 50 metres.
Adding to this fact that St. Alexander Nevski square is the highest point of the capital city centre, one can get a better understanding of the feeling of gratitude – the imposing five-nave basilica in Neo-Byzantine style was built as an expression of the gratitude and for “peace to the souls of those who fell for the Liberation of Bulgaria”.
The memorial church was given the name of the Russian prince and military commander St. Alezander of Neva (1220-1263), patron of the Russian Emperor Alexander II.
The architect of the building was the St. Petersburg professor A.N.Pomerantsev, in collaboration with Russian and Bulgarian architects. The construction works took 8 years (1904-1912). In 1953, the church was proclaimed a patriarchal cathedral.