Svetya Nedelya Cathedral sits
right in the middle of a busy traffic square, so you would never guess
it was built in the 1850's on the ruins of the ancient Roman city walls
of Ulpia Serdica.
Sveta Petka is unique in that
it is sunk under ground. It was built in the late 14th century while
the Turks were in control of the area and all churches had to be below
the level of the mosques.
Banya Bashi Mosque was built by
the Turks when they inhabited the area in the 16th century. It is
the only surviving and functioning mosque in Sofia today.
The Church of St. George was
built originally in 2nd century CE as a Roman rotunda and was converted
to a church in the middle ages. There is strong Byzantine influence
evident in the architecture, even though today it is surrounded by the
Sheraton hotel and government offices.
St. Nikolai Russian Orthodox Church
was built in 1912 by Russian émigrés. It has the quintessential
onion-dome top and beautiful 11th century murals hung inside.
