Church of
Sveta Sofia 8
Църква Света София
pl. Aleksandûr Nevski. Map E4.
Tel (02) 987 0971. 1, 2, 4, 9, 10,
- v 20, 22. # 9am–6pm. ^
The origins of Sofia’s oldest
surviving Christian church go
back to the 6th century. It
was built on the site of two
4th-century churches outside
the city walls. The spot was
also the town graveyard of
Serdika, as Sofia was known
in ancient times. The church
remained Sofia’s principal
cemetery church well into
the Middle Ages.
During the Second Bulgarian
Kingdom (1185–1396), the
church became the seat of
the city’s bishop. The city
itself, known in Bulgarian as
Sredets, gradually took the
church’s name, which means
Holy Wisdom. After the
Ottoman conquest, the church
became a mosque, but was
abandoned when an
earthquake struck in 1858.
The church takes the form
of a three-aisled Byzantine-
style basilica. The interior is
lofty, calm and peaceful, and
the beautiful brickwork of
610 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp636–8 and pp639–41
Main entrance to the National
Gallery of Foreign ArtNational Gallery
of Foreign Art 9
Национална галерия за
чуждестранно изкуствоpl. Aleksandûr Nevski 1. Map F4.
Tel (02) 980 7262. @ 9, 280, 306.
1, 2, 4, 11. Q Sveti Kliment
Ohridski. # 11am–6:30pm Mon,
Wed–Sun. & 8
http://www.foreignartgallery.orgThe pristine white building
behind the Aleksandûr Nevski
Memorial Church (see pp608–
9) houses the National Gallery
of Foreign Art (Natsionalna
Galeriya za Chuzhdestranno
Izkustvo). It opened in 1985
and comprises gifts made to
the Bulgarian state, either
by private individuals or byLion guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Church of Sveta Sofia
the walls and arches is
completely devoid of orna-
men tation. Some fragments
of mosaic from a 4th-century
church can be seen on the
floor of the south aisle.
Outside the church, beside
the south wall, is the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier, which
commemorates the thousands
of Bulgarian soldiers who
died during World War I.
The monument is guarded
by a stately bronze lion.National History
Museum 0
Национален Исторически
Музейul. Vitoshko Lale, Boyana. Map A4.
Tel (02) 955 4280. @ 63, 111,- v 2. # Nov–Mar:
9am–5:30pm (last ticket 4:45pm);
Apr–Oct: 9:30am–6pm (last ticket
5:30pm). & 8 - = http://www.
historymuseum.org
Bulgaria’s largest collection of
historic artifacts is located 7 km
(4 miles) from the centre of
Sofia. It has a delightful setting
in the foothills and show cases
remarkable objects. The col-
lections are displayed chron-
ologically over three floors.countries allied to the ruling
Communist regime at that time.
On the ground floor are
outstanding collections of
African tribal sculpture and
Japanese woodblock prints.
Upstairs, a display of 19th-
and 20th-century paintings
includes a pastel drawing by
Renoir, a lithograph by
Picasso and some animated
sketches by Eugène Delacroix.
Thematic exhibitions are often
held in the basement, where
a barrel-roofed late-Roman
tomb is on display.
The building itself is a
modern reconstruction of
the State Printing House of
1883, one of post-Liberation
Bulgaria’s finest Neo-Classical
buildings, which was des-
troyed by Allied bombing
raids in 1944.