Domes and Cross of the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral Church in Sofia, Bulgaria


The Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral Church is the most prominent Christian monument in Sofia. It is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world and is in the Neo Byzantine Style. It occupies an area of 3170 m² and can take 5,000 people inside. It was built to honour the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule. The cathedral was designed by Russian Architect Alexander Pomerantsev, aided by Alexander Smirnov and Alexander Yakovlev. It's a cross domed basilica with a 45m high gold plated dome with twelve bells weighing from 10 kg to 12 tons. The central dome has the Lord's Prayer inscribed around it with thin gold letters and the interior is richly decorated. The construction started in 1882 but the main building was from 1904 -1912.


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Photo credit: © johnrochaphoto / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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