Sofia is ancient. It is cosmopolitan. It is the people coming and going, the empires, the political regimes… All of them gave their part in building the city it is today. A city with European atmosphere and Mediterranean spirit. Private tours in Bulgaria, one of the two oldest European capitals as well.
Sofia has always been there, fortunately. To meet new generations, new challenges.
To start with, there used to be two settlements at the place of today’s Sofia 5000 years ago. Later, the ancient town of Serdika appeared. Philip II conquered it. Then, the city was governed by Alexander the Great. The next ruler, Constantine the Great, was in love with Serdika. They say that he once claimed ‘Serdika is my Rome!’
The oldest functioning church and one of the oldest in the world, St George Rotunda, is in Sofia. The Rotunda was a temple in Constantine’s Palace. And it was built of red bricks at the beginning of 4th century.
Together with Saint George Rotunda, the Basilica of St Sofia is one of the oldest still operating Christian temples not only on the territory of Bulgaria, but in Europe as well. Today St Sofia Church attracts with its beauty and long history. Of great interest is the rare for the Bulgarian lands architectural plan. It shows a three-nave cross-domed basilica and its underground museum of the temple. It also shows the ancient necropolis of Serdica.
Bulgaria private tours Recent History
If there is a symbol that stands out the most in Sofia’s recent history, it is undoubtedly Memorial Temple ‘St. Alexander Nevsky’. It can accommodate up to 5000 people. Architecturally and culturally, the temple is a real pearl in the crown of the capital of Sofia. The construction of the St.Alexander Nevsky Cathedral started in 1882 and the building was finished in 1912. As a monument, the temple doesn’t offer other services besides for the daily, Sunday and Festival worshiping.
Sofia Private Tours Bulgaria
When entering the temple, one can see the writing ‘Home of God. Home for praying’.
The magic place in Sofia where dreams come true is the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker. It is a small bijou known also as the Russian Church. It is a Russian Orthodox Church and it’s like taken from a fairy-tale. It’s one of the most remarkable buildings in Sofia. Since 1921 the archbishop of the church had been Serafim Sobolev.
