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  • Europe 2022 - 2023
    1131
    Day 327

    Saint Sofia church, Sofia Bulgaria

    March 31, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    St Sophia Church is one of few preserved Christian basilicas in Bulgaria.
    The church was built in the 6th century on the site of several earlier churches predating it from the 4th century. After the occupation by the Ottomans in the 14th century it was rebuilt to include a minerat as it was converted into a mosque. During the earthquakes of 1818 and 1858 the minerat fell killing the imams son. That was seen as a bad omen and it was soon after abandoned.
    Today it serves as one of the oldest and most valuable historical sites of Sofia from the Roman period. It is located in the centre of the holiest place of the centuries old city, the "Serdika Necropolis". Beneath the church itself lies the archeological level showing the remains of ancient mosaics and previous foundations and burial areas from the 4th century.

    On a side note Serdica was the ancient name given to Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe and the city of Sofia or Serdica as it once was known as predates the Romans. The name comes from the celtic tribe that called this area Serdi. Neolithic burials were found before that up until 6000 BC. It was even said that Constantine the Great loved Serdica so much that he was considering making it the capital of his empire before settling on Constantinople now modern day Istanbul. For more info in Serdica see here; https://slowtravelblog.com/serdica-lost-city/    Read more