Russian Church Sweti Nikolaj
The Russian Church of Sveti Nikolay ( Bulgarian църква "Свети Николай Чудотворец" zarkwa "Sveti Nikolaj Tschudotworez" shortly Bulgarian Руска църква Ruska zarkwa ; Russian Церковь святителя Николая Чудотворца Zerkow swjatitelja Nikolaja Chudotvortsa ) is a Russian Orthodox church in the center of Sofia in Bulgaria .
History and architecture
The church was built from 1907 until its consecration in 1914 on today's Zar-Oswoboditel-Boulevard on the place where the Saray-, which was destroyed in 1882 after the Russo-Ottoman War (1877–1878) and the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire , was built. Mosque had found. It was built as the official church of the Russian Embassy , which was located next door, and the Russian people in Sofia. It was named after Nicholas of Myra , the patron saint of Nicholas II , who ruled Russia at the time as Tsar . In 1914, the Russian priest Seraphim Sobolew was appointed archbishop .
The church was designed by Russian architect Mikhail Preobrazhensky in the Russian style, inspired by Russian church buildings from the 17th century. The architect Alexander Smirnov , who also built the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, was responsible for the construction and supervision . The exterior design with numerous colored parts was done by G. Kislichev, the interior painting was carried out by a team of artists under the direction of Vasily Perminov , who also worked in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The five domes of the towers were covered with gold leaf , the bells were donated by Nicholas II.
Bell tower and north facade
Decoration of the east facade
Even after the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 and during the socialist period of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1944 to 1989, the church was open and was open to priests and believers, but these were under special observation by the state police. In 1947 it was transferred to the Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate, from which it is administered to this day. After 1989 the exterior facades were restored by the Russian government, the interior paintings, however, are heavily darkened due to the candle smoke in the interior and the time and need to be restored. The crypt with the remains of Archbishop Seraphim Sobolev, who died in 1950 and canonized by the Bulgarian Orthodox and Russian Orthodox Churches in 2016, is located near the main corridor of the church.
Web links
- Russian Church “Sveti Nikolay” on bulgariatravel.org
- Official website
- Historical photographs of the church
Coordinates: 42 ° 41 ′ 44.5 " N , 23 ° 19 ′ 44.8" E