The Cathedral of the Dormition ( ), also called Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Catholic church of Bulgarian (Byzantine) rite that is the mother church of the
Bulgarian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Sofia,
located in the city of
Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
, in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
.
The church was built in 1924 in order to meet the religious needs of
Eastern rite Catholics in Sofia. The construction of the church had been possible thanks to the efforts of Monsignor
Vikenti Peev, the bishop of the diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv and personal donations sent by
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
s
Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...
and
Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
. On 17 September 1922, the first stone was laid. The church was designed by an architect named Heinrich as the first concrete church in Sofia. The church was completed on 27 August 1924 in what was then the outskirts of the city.
In 2002 the cathedral was visited by
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
during his apostolic travel to Bulgaria.
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in Bulgaria
The Catholic Church is the fourth largest religious congregation in Bulgaria, after Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam and Protestantism. Its roots in the country date to the Middle Ages and are part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual l ...
*
Cathedral of the Dormition
The Cathedral of the Dormition (), also known as the Assumption Cathedral or Cathedral of the Assumption, is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is located on the north side of Cathedral Square of the Mosco ...
(in Russia)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dormition Cathedral, Church
Catholic cathedrals in Bulgaria
Eastern Catholic cathedrals in Europe
Cathedrals in Sofia
Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church