Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral stands on Alexander Nevsky Square in central Sofia, Bulgaria, and is among the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the Balkans. Construction began in 1882 and the building was completed in 1912, with consecration following in 1924. It honours the roughly 200,000 Russian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, which led to the creation of the modern Bulgarian state, and is named after the Russian prince and saint Alexander Nevsky. The Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev designed it in a Neo-Byzantine style, with a central gilded dome, smaller domes, and a bell tower about 50 metres high that houses twelve bells. The cathedral can hold several thousand worshippers. Inside, the decoration is lavish: Italian marble, onyx and alabaster, mosaics, stained glass and murals by Bulgarian, Russian and other painters, including work by Ivan Mrkvichka, Anton Mitov and Viktor Vasnetsov. The iconostasis and the royal and patriarchal thrones form the liturgical heart of the building. Beneath the main hall, the crypt now houses the National Art Gallery's collection of icons, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The building has been restored repeatedly, including conservation of the gilded domes and interior murals, and remains an active cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, used for major national and religious ceremonies. The square around it includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Basilica of St Sofia, making it a natural starting point for a walk through the historic centre. Visitors are asked to dress modestly, as the cathedral is a working place of worship.