606 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp636–8 and pp639–41
Church of Sveta Nedelya, one of Sofia’s most important places of worship
Church of
Sveta Nedelya 1
Църква “Света Неделя”
pl. Sveta Nedelya. Map C4. Tel (02)
987 5748. v 1, 2, 7, 18. ^
Set on an island in central
Sofia, the Church of Sveta
Nedelya (Tšurkvata Sveta
Nedelya) was built on the site
of a 10th-century church and
has long been one of the city’s
principal places of worship. It
serves as the seat of the bish-
ops of Sofia and has now
been given a cathedral status.
During the Ottoman period
it was known as the Church of
Sveti Kral – the Blessed King –
because it held the relics of
Stefan Urosh II Milutin, a 14th-
century Serbian ruler who
defeated the Bulgarian
emperor, Mihail Shishman. The
bones, believed to have
Sofia Synagogue 2
Софийска Синагогаul. Ekzarh Iosif 16. Map C3. Tel (02)
983 5085. v 1, 2, 7, 18, 20, 22.
q Serdika. # 9am–4pm Mon–Fri,
9am–1pm Sat, call in advance.One of the largest in Europe,
this synagogue (Sofĭska
sinagoga) can hold as many
as 1,300 people. Designed by
Austrian architect Friedrich
Grünanger and com pleted in
1909, it is home to a brass
chan delier weigh ing over 2,000
kg (4,400 lb). The inte rior also
has some exqui site Moorish
mosaics, painted pillars and
scalloped arches. A Jewish
Museum of History here tells
the history of the Jews in
Bulgaria. A visit to the museum
might not always be possible
since it might be closed.Detail of the ornate Moorish exterior
of the Sofia Synagogue
Golden Burial Mask,
Archaeological MuseumArchaeological
Museum 3
Археологически Музейul. Sûborna 2. Map D4. Tel (02) 988- v 1, 2, 7, 18, 20, 22.
q Serdika. # Nov–Feb: 10am–5pm
Tue–Sun. & - museum annexe.
Many of Bulgaria’s finest
Thracian, Roman and medieval
treasures are preserved in
Sofia’s Archaeological Museum
(Arheologicheski Muzei).
The building, once the Grand
Mosque (Buyuk Dzhamiya),
was built in 1494 and con-
verted into the present
museum in 1894. The former
prayer hall, a cube-shaped
space beneath nine graceful
domes, perfectly com plements
an open-plan display
of Greek, Roman
and medie val
sculp ture. The
side rooms are
devoted to a
superb sequence
of treasures. High-
lights include a finely
crafted Golden
Burial Mask
belong ing to a
Thracian chieftain of the 5th
century BC, a bronze helmet
and a delicate golden laurel
wreath found near Plovdiv
(see pp620–21).
The ground floor features
Roman finds, including finely
carved tombs, while the first
floor holds a host of valuable
medieval icons and lavishly
decorated pottery with animal,
bird and floral designs.miraculous healing pow ers, are
kept in a wooden casket
beside the iconostasis.
The church was
rebuilt between
1856 and 1863, but
was almost com-
pletely destroyed
in 1925, when
Communist extrem-
ists bombed it during a
funeral service
attended by Tsar
Boris III. The
arcades on the north side and
the gilt iconos tasis remain
intact. Frescoes executed in
the 1970s and a marble floor
added in the 1990s give the
interior a contem porary look.National Art
Gallery 4
Национална
Художествена Галерияpl. Knyaz Aleksandûr Batenberg 1.
Map D4. Tel (02) 980 3325. v 1, 2,
7, 20, 22. Q Serdika. # 10am–6pm
Tue–Sun. & Ethnographic
Museum Tel (02) 988 4191.
# Mar–Oct: 10am–6pm Tue–Sun;
Nov–Feb: 5pm. & =The imposing National
Art Gallery (Natsionalna
Hudozhestvena Galeriya)
occupies the west wing of
the former royal palace.
Built in 1873 for Sofia’s