St. Nedelya Church, Sofia (must see)

Saint Nedelya Church, meaning “Holy Sunday”, reflects centuries of Christian worship and linguistic tradition. Built in the medieval period, the church has been destroyed, rebuilt, expanded, and even targeted in a deadly political attack. The first version of Saint Nedelya is believed to have been built in the 10th century. Its foundation was of stone, but the rest of the structure was wooden. By the 18th century, it had become a bishop’s residence and the resting place of Serbian King Stefan Milutin, whose relics had been moved several times since 1460 before finding a home here.

The old church was demolished in 1856 to make way for a larger cathedral. Construction faced setbacks, including damage from an earthquake in 1858, but the new church was completed in 1863. In May 1867, it was inaugurated in front of an enormous crowd of 20,000 people. A new belfry was added in 1879 to house a carillon donated by Prince Alexander M. Dondukov-Korsakov.

In 1925, Saint Nedelya became the site of the deadliest political attack in Bulgarian history, when Communist militants bombed the church during a state funeral, killing more than 150 people. The church was rebuilt between 1927 and 1933, preserving its size while adding a central dome that rises 93 feet above the floor.

Renovation continued into modern times. By 1994, the floor had been replaced and the north colonnade reglazed, and in 2000 the façade received a full cleaning. Today, Saint Nedelya remains an active place of worship and a powerful symbol of Sofia’s endurance through centuries of upheaval.