The Russian Church ( bg, Руска църква, translit=Ruska tsarkva), officially known as the Church of St Nicholas the Miracle-Maker ( bg, църква „Св. Николай Чудотворец“, translit=tsarkva "Sv. Nikolay Chudotvorets", russian: Церковь Святителя Николая Чудотворца (София)), is a

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

church in central

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

situated on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard.

History and architecture

The church was built on the site of the Saray Mosque, which was destroyed in 1882, after the

liberation of Bulgaria The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishme ...

by Russia from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

. It was built as the official church of the

Russian Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Russia. These missions are subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russian Federation has one of the largest networks of embassies and consulates ...

, which was located next door, and of the Russian community in Sofia, and was named, as was the tradition for diplomatic churches, for the patron saint of the Emperor who ruled Russia at the time,

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

. The church was designed by the Russian architect Mikhail Preobrazhenski in the style of

Russian Revival architecture The Russian Revival style (historiographical names are: ''Russian style'', russian: русский стиль, ''Pseudo-Russian style'', russian: псевдорусский стиль, ''Neo-Russian style'', russian: нео-русский стил ...

, with decoration inspired by the Muscovite Russian churches of the 17th century. The construction was supervised by the architect A. Smirnov, who was building the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral nearby. The exterior decoration of multicolored tiles was done by G. Kislichev, and the interior murals were painted by a team of artists led by Vasily Perminov, who also painted those in Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The five domes are coated with gold. The bells were donated by Emperor Nicholas II. Construction began in 1907 and the church was consecrated in 1914. The church remained open after the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

and during the Communist period in Bulgaria (1944–1989), though priests and church-goers were carefully watched by the State Security police. The exterior was recently restored by the

Russian Government The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...

. The interior murals are darkened by smoke from candles and from time, and are in need of restoration. The crypt housing the remains of Saint Archbishop Seraphim is located beneath the Russian Church's main floor. Dozens of people still visit the grave of the archbishop, who died in 1950, praying and leaving notes asking for wishes to be granted.

References

*''Official Guide to the Russian Church'' by N. Neshkov and N. Lobanova (in Russian and Bulgarian) *Historical Plaque in front of the Russian Church, placed by the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria

External links

Official site

{{coord, 42.6957, N, 23.3291, E, source:ruwiki_region:BG, format=dms, display=title Churches in Sofia Churches completed in 1914 20th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Russian Orthodox church buildings Russian Revival architecture Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Bulgaria 20th-century churches in Bulgaria

History and architecture

See also

References

External links