Church & monasterySofia & Western Bulgaria

Saint Sophia Church in Sofia, the Basilica That Named a Capital

Saint Sophia Church is an early Christian Orthodox basilica in the centre of Sofia, traditionally dated to the fourth century and one of the oldest churches in the city. It stands amid an ancient necropolis, with tombs and floor mosaics beneath and around it. For anyone interested in how Sofia got its name, it is the place to start.

The Bulgarian capital is named after this church, and “Sophia” here means Holy Wisdom, not a saint. Over the centuries the building was a cathedral, a mosque, a warehouse and even a fire-brigade lookout.

WhereCentral Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria

TypeEarly Christian Orthodox cross-domed basilica with an ancient necropolis beneath

Best forHistory and architecture lovers, anyone curious about Roman Serdica and early Christianity

Getting thereIn the city centre of Sofia, easy to reach on foot from other central sights

The history of Saint Sophia Church

The ground beneath Saint Sophia was a burial place long before it held a church. Roman Serdica, as Sofia was then called, had a cemetery east of its eastern gate, and twentieth-century Bulgarian scholars concluded that at least four smaller Christian buildings stood here before the present one. The first was a martyrium, a shrine within the older graveyard, put up soon after the edicts of toleration of 311 and 313. Around 380 a larger church replaced it, and later versions followed with new mosaic floors. Researchers have questioned parts of this sequence, and one of the churches is thought to have fallen to the Huns in 443. Serdica was also a major centre of early Christianity: a council of bishops met here around 343, in a church that stood where Saint Sophia was later built.

The building you see today is thought to date from about the middle of the fifth century, under Emperor Marcian or Leo I, with repairs around the middle of the sixth century under Justinian I. Like the famous church in Constantinople, it is dedicated to Holy Wisdom, one of the names given to Christ. It is a three-aisled cross basilica, about 46 metres long, with a transept, a three-sided apse and a dome without a drum, rising roughly 20 metres. The historian Bogdan Filov argued that its style was not typically Byzantine and that its roots lay in the early Christian architecture of Asia Minor.

After the Bulgarian ruler Krum took Serdica in 809, the vaults of the naves and transept collapsed. After the conversion of the Bulgarians in the ninth century the church was repaired, and in the Second Bulgarian Empire (twelfth to fourteenth centuries) it became the seat of a metropolitan bishop; traces of twelfth-century frescoes have been found. The earliest written evidence of the name Saint Sophia is a note in a gospel book from 1329, and during the fourteenth century the church's name began to be used for the town itself, which had been called Sredets.

Under the Ottomans the church became a mosque, a minaret was added and the frescoes were destroyed. An earthquake damaged it in the fifteenth century, and in the late sixteenth century it was restored as a mosque by the Rumelian governor Kanijeli Siyavush Pasha. Strong earthquakes in 1818 and 1858 brought down the minaret, and the building was abandoned and used as a storehouse. On 4 January 1878, during the Russo-Turkish War, a thanksgiving service was held in front of it for the troops of General Gurko. Towards the end of the nineteenth century the upper parts still served as a lookout for the fire brigade.

Revival began in 1899, when the priest Apostol Georgiev proposed restoring the half-ruined southern wing. A chapel there was consecrated on 20 December 1900. A fuller restoration followed from the 1920s under Bogdan Filov; the church was reconsecrated in 1930 and finishing work continued until 1935. It did not regain the role of cathedral, which passed to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Allied bombing in 1944 caused heavy damage, and the church was restored again, reopening to worshippers and visitors after work completed in 2013.

Curious facts about Saint Sophia Church

The name is not a saint's: Sophia means Holy Wisdom, and the church was named after it, as was the later city of Sofia.
The church has no bell tower. Its bell still hangs from a large old tree in the garden in front of the entrance.
Its floor is covered with complex early Christian mosaics decorated with plant and animal motifs.
The building stands in the middle of an ancient necropolis, and some of the tombs discovered beneath and near it have frescoes.
Icons inside show Holy Wisdom as Christ Emmanuel, a young Christ seated on a rainbow, beside icons of saints such as George and Vladimir.
When the Ottoman-era mosque was left to ruin, local belief held, according to Polish sources, that it was the wrath of the Christian God that had brought it down, so it was never rebuilt as a mosque.

Tours near Saint Sophia 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

See details ›

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

See details ›

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

★ 5 (24 reviews) · 6 h

See details ›

Visiting Saint Sophia Church: what to expect

The church is in central Sofia and fits easily into a walking day among the other ancient and religious sights of the centre.
Look for the early Christian floor mosaics and the ancient tombs, some with frescoes, in the necropolis around and beneath the church.
Photographs in the collection show a plan of an underground museum beneath the church; check what is currently open to visitors.
It is a working Orthodox church, so dress modestly and respect services. Check the current opening hours before you go.
Roman Serdica remains such as the amphitheatre are close by, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a short walk away.

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

Map: where Saint Sophia Church is

Photos of Saint Sophia Church

Questions

What is Saint Sophia Church in Sofia?

It is an early Christian Orthodox basilica in the centre of Sofia, traditionally dated to the fourth century. It stands over an ancient necropolis and is one of the oldest churches in the city.

Is Sofia named after Saint Sophia Church?

Yes. The church is dedicated to Holy Wisdom, and during the fourteenth century its name began to be used for the town, which had earlier been called Sredets.

How old is Saint Sophia Church?

Its origins go back to the fourth century, but the present building is thought to date from about the middle of the fifth century, with repairs under Justinian I around the middle of the sixth.

Was Saint Sophia Church ever a mosque?

Yes. After the Ottoman conquest it was turned into a mosque and a minaret was added. Earthquakes in 1818 and 1858 brought the minaret down and the mosque was abandoned.

Does Saint Sophia Church have a bell tower?

No. The bell hangs from a large old tree in the garden in front of the entrance.

What can you see inside and around Saint Sophia Church?

Early Christian floor mosaics with plant and animal motifs, icons of Holy Wisdom and saints, and ancient tombs of the surrounding necropolis, some with frescoes.