Church & monasterySofia & Western Bulgaria

Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers Church, a Medieval Gem Below Sofia's Streets

The Church of Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers is a small, one-naved Orthodox church sunk below street level in the very centre of Sofia, in the underpass by the TZUM department store and the Serdika metro station. It stands over a Roman crypt and keeps murals from the fourteenth century onwards. It makes a quiet, atmospheric stop in the capital's busiest corner.

A tiny medieval church stands half buried in the middle of Sofia's busiest shopping area, reached through a metro passage. Beneath it lies a Roman crypt, and around it an old mystery about a national hero's grave.

WhereCentre of Sofia, in the TZUM underpass near the Serdika metro station and Sveta Nedelya Cathedral

TypeMedieval Orthodox church, partly dug into the ground, built over a Roman crypt

Best forHistory and mural lovers, and short city-centre stops

Getting thereIn the middle of Sofia, reached via the Serdika metro station and the underpass

The history of the Church of Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers

The church stands where earlier religious life already existed. Excavations revealed beneath it a crypt, a Roman tomb of the fourth century, which suggests there was an earlier ritual building on the spot. Around the eleventh century the present church was raised over this crypt. It is a small, one-naved building, partly sunk into the ground, with walls about one metre thick made of brick and stone. It has a semi-cylindrical vault and a hemispherical apse, and the crypt itself was discovered during excavations after the Second World War.

The church is first mentioned in writing in the sixteenth century. A Romanian source describes this first mention as a letter from the Christian residents of Sofia to the Ottoman sultan, sent with gifts and a request to preserve the Christian shrines of the city centre. At that time Sofia was under Ottoman rule,, and the church is one of the few medieval churches in Sofia that still function.

Its name comes from the guild of saddlers, who lived in a quarter in this area in the Middle Ages and looked after the church, holding their rituals there. Saint Petka was their patron, and the word samardzhiyski, meaning of the saddlers, comes from the Ottoman Turkish semerci, saddlemaker. The oldest surviving murals date from the fourteenth century, and later layers were painted over them in the following centuries. The iconostasis is the work of master craftsmen from Debar of the Filipov family, and some of the icons come from another Debar master, Alekso Vasilev.

In the 1970s the church was restored and put on display to a design by the architects N. Mushanov and Z. Kirova, and its murals were restored by the artist-restorer L. Delchev. Over the centuries the city grew up around it, and the church now stands in a semi-submerged shopping mall at the very centre of both the modern and the ancient city.

The church is also tied to a long-running question about the burial place of Vasil Levski, the Bulgarian national hero. Excavations in 1956 uncovered bones, and the writer Nikolai Khaitov proposed that they might be Levski's, relying on 1937 press reports of a reburial. The skeleton labelled No. 95 was sent for examination but the bones were later lost. Two commissions in the 1980s found no proof that would support the claim, and the matter remains unresolved.

Curious facts about Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers

The church sits in a semi-submerged shopping mall and can be reached through the Serdika metro station.
Its name refers to the saddlers of medieval Sofia, who looked after the church; the word comes from the Ottoman Turkish semerci.
Under the church lies a crypt that archaeologists identify as a Roman tomb of the fourth century.
The idea that Vasil Levski is buried here has been debated for decades, but two commissions in the 1980s found no proof.
The church is described as one of the few medieval churches of Sofia that are still in use.
The walls are about one metre thick, built of brick and stone.

Tours near Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers Church

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Half Day Tour around Sofia and the mountains with Thermal Spa

★ 5 (47 reviews) · 6 h

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ATV Off Road Tour Near Sofia Guided Quad Bike Experience

★ 5 (28 reviews) · 1.5 h

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Plovdiv, Asen's Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery small group tour with pickup

★ 5 (27 reviews) · 9 h

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Full-day Rila Monastery, Stob Pyramids and St Ivan Rilski Cave from Sofia

★ 5 (24 reviews) · 6 h

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Visiting Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers: what to expect

The church is in the underpass by TZUM, reached via the Serdika metro station, in the very centre of Sofia.
Look for the one-naved interior with its barrel vault and the surviving murals, some going back to the fourteenth century.
The iconostasis was carved by Debar masters of the Filipov family.
It is a working church, so dress and behave respectfully; check the current opening hours before you go.
The Saint George Rotunda and the ruins of ancient Serdica are within a short walk.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers Church is

Photos of Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers Church

Questions

What is the Church of Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers?

It is a small medieval Orthodox church in central Sofia, partly dug into the ground and built over a Roman crypt. It is one of the few medieval churches in Sofia still in use.

Where is the Church of Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers?

It is in the very centre of Sofia, in the TZUM underpass near the Serdika metro station and Sveta Nedelya Cathedral.

Why is it called Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers?

Saint Petka was the patron of the saddlers, whose quarter lay in this area in the Middle Ages and who looked after the church. The word samardzhiyski comes from the Ottoman Turkish semerci, meaning saddlemaker.

How old is the Church of Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers?

The present church dates from about the eleventh century and stands on a fourth-century Roman crypt. It is first mentioned in writing in the sixteenth century, and its oldest murals date from the fourteenth.

Is Vasil Levski buried in the Church of Saint Petka?

This has been proposed by some, but two commissions in the 1980s found no proof, as the bones in question were lost. The question remains unresolved.

What else is worth seeing near Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers?

The Saint George Rotunda and the remains of ancient Serdica, including its amphitheatre, are very close by in the centre of Sofia.