Seven Saints Church in Sofia, a former mosque turned Orthodox church

Church & monasterySofia & Western Bulgaria

Seven Saints Church, the Black Mosque turned Orthodox church in Sofia

Seven Saints Church (Sveti Sedmochislenitsi) is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in the centre of Sofia, set in a small garden near the Count Ignatiev School. It began in the sixteenth century as the Black Mosque and was rebuilt as a church that was consecrated in 1903. It is a rare place where Roman, Ottoman and Bulgarian layers of the capital meet in one building.

This Orthodox church in the heart of Sofia was an Ottoman mosque, then a military warehouse and a prison. Beneath it lie an early Christian church and a Roman temple of Asclepius.

WhereCentral Sofia, in a small garden between Tsar Ivan Shishman and Graf Ignatiev streets

TypeBulgarian Orthodox church built from a sixteenth-century Ottoman mosque

Best forArchitecture and history fans, and anyone looking for a short stop in the city centre

Getting thereIn the middle of Sofia, within walking distance of other central sights such as the Battenberg Mausoleum and the Amphitheatre of Serdica

The history of Seven Saints Church

The ground under this church has been sacred for a very long time. Excavations in 1901 uncovered the remains of an early Christian church dating from roughly the fourth to the sixth century, and the foundations also revealed a still older pagan sanctuary of Asclepius from Roman Serdica, as Sofia was then called. In later centuries the plot belonged to Rila Monastery, which kept a dependency here.

In the sixteenth century, in the time of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, a mosque was raised on the spot. Wikidata gives 1528 as the start of construction, while the English Wikipedia article speaks of about 1547, so the exact date is uncertain. Tradition credits the famous architect Mimar Sinan, although the Romanian article stresses that firm evidence is lacking. The building was a large square hall under a big lead-covered dome. Its minaret was made of dark granite, which gave the mosque the popular name Black Mosque (Kara Camii). It was also called the Imaret Mosque after a nearby kitchen for the poor, and around it stood a madrasah, a caravanserai and a hammam.

The minaret collapsed in an earthquake in the nineteenth century and was never rebuilt. After the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 the mosque was no longer used for prayer. It served first as a military warehouse and later as a prison, and the neighbouring madrasah was also used as a jail.

In 1901 the Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev, known for the Upper Trade Rows on Red Square, proposed turning the derelict building into a Christian church. The Bulgarian architects Yordan Milanov and Petko Momchilov designed the new parts in a traditional Neo-Byzantine style. Only the central hall and the dome of the mosque were kept. Four oval bays, a narthex, an altar section and a bell tower were added, the minaret and the madrasah were taken down, and the work lasted from May 1901 to May 1902.

The church was consecrated on 27 July 1903 and dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius and their five disciples, known in the Orthodox tradition as the Sedmochislenitsi, the Seven. Tsar Ferdinand was recognised as the main donor, and the iconostasis is the work of the Filipov family of master carvers from Debar. The full interior decoration was only completed in 1996, nearly a century after the conversion began.

Curious facts about Seven Saints Church

The old mosque got its popular name, the Black Mosque, from the dark granite of its minaret.
The large candlesticks in front of the altar were cast in 1903 from obsolete police badges of Eastern Rumelia and of the Principality of Bulgaria from before the Unification of 1885.
An electric clock made by the watchmaker Georgi Hadzhinikolov was fitted on the west façade in the 1930s and is reported to be still in use.
27 July, the day of the consecration, is the church's feast day and is also kept as the day of Saint Clement of Ohrid and the Seven Saints.
Petko Karavelov, who served as Bulgarian prime minister four times, was buried next to the church in 1903; his wife Ekaterina Karavelova and Bishop Nil Izvorov also rest in the yard.
Tradition says Mimar Sinan designed the mosque, but Romanian Wikipedia points out that there is no firm proof.

Tours near Seven Saints 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

See details ›

Visiting Seven Saints Church: what to expect

The church stands in a small garden bounded by the streets Tsar Ivan Shishman, Graf Ignatiev, 6 September and General Parensov, in the middle of Sofia.
Look at the mix of Ottoman and Neo-Byzantine elements: the old central dome and hall, the four added domes and the bell tower over the entrance.
The graves of the Karavelov family and of Bishop Nil Izvorov lie in the yard behind the apse.
The small garden in front occupies the site of the former madrasah. The sources do not say whether the ancient remains below the church can be seen.
This is a working church, so dress respectfully, and check the current opening hours and service times before you go.

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

Map: where Seven Saints Church is

Photos of Seven Saints Church

Questions

What is Seven Saints Church in Sofia?

It is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in the centre of Sofia, converted from an Ottoman mosque of the sixteenth century. It was consecrated on 27 July 1903.

Why was it called the Black Mosque?

The mosque had a minaret built of dark granite, and the name Black Mosque (Kara Camii) stuck. The minaret fell in an earthquake in the nineteenth century.

Who are the seven saints?

They are Saints Cyril and Methodius and their five disciples Clement, Naum, Gorazd, Sava and Angelarius, venerated together as the Sedmochislenitsi.

What stood on the site before the mosque?

Excavations in 1901 found an early Christian church from about the fourth to sixth century and an older sanctuary of Asclepius from Roman Serdica.

Who designed the conversion into a church?

The Bulgarian architects Yordan Milanov and Petko Momchilov designed the dome, narthex and bell tower, after the Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev had proposed the conversion.

Who is buried at Seven Saints Church?

The statesman Petko Karavelov, four times prime minister, and his wife Ekaterina are buried in the yard, as is Bishop Nil Izvorov.