Sunday 23 September 2012

Sofia from above and the cathedral Alexander Nevski

If there is a building which is an unmistakable symbol of my home town Sofia then this is, without any doubt, the majestic cathedral Alexander Nevski. This architecture masterpiece was built in the period 1904-1912 and is the most colourful and glorious way of the Bulgarians saying "thank you" to the Russians. The cathedral was created in honour to the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule.
But enough of history here... I would like to show you that this fantastic basilica cant be missed even when landing in Sofia. The first picture I have taken from my plane on the way to the Sofia airport. The building itself is decorated with a lot of gold (the 45m high dome and 53m high bell tower), marmor, onyx and plenty of mosaics of various saints. The temple has 12 bells with total weight of 23 tons, the heaviest weighing 12 tons and the lightest 10 kilogrammes. The colourful inside walls are almost completely covered with icons (unfortunately no photos are allowed). I have prepared a small selection of pictures I have made through the last 6-7 years. You can find pictures of the cathedral by night, in the snow or just bathing in the Sofia sun...



11 comments:

Lies said...

In elk jaargetijde is het zowel binnen als buiten een 'juweel',Jana !
Lie(f)s.

betchai said...

love the aerial view and the amazing details of the Basilica.

Kristie said...

Great view from your plane. This is a stunning Basilica, it's gorgeous. I'd love to see the inside of it...I can only imagine how beautiful it must be.

Have a great week! :)

Dietmut said...

Jana, een prachtige serie. Groetjes Dietmut

FilipBlog said...

Beautiful Jana, I was in the Alexander Nevsky cathedral in Tallinn and have good memories of the Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg so it means omething to me. Good article.


Greetings,
Filip

papillon said...

Hi Jana,
very nice views to your home town.
We hope you had a wonderful time there ...
J+C

Barb said...

Wondrous architectural shots, jana - you show a magical place.

Roland said...

Really cool series - wow !!

AVCr8teur said...

What a view! So many beautiful buildings and architecture. I can't get over how large some of those structures are even from the air.

Koryn said...

Wow, the cathedral just stands out at night! But what I really like about it is how beautiful it is practically in any season.

Any photos inside the cathedral? :)

fiziskandarz said...

The bird view is just simply awesome! You are very lucky to get the photo with a great view too! :D