Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers Church, Medieval Orthodox church in central Sofia, Bulgaria.
Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers Church is a small single-nave church in central Sofia, built with thick brick and stone walls and a rounded apse. The building sits several meters below the current street level and is reached through an underground passage beneath a major road junction.
The church was built in the 11th century on the remains of a Roman temple, with the older foundations still lying beneath the floor. Over the following centuries, the interior walls were repainted several times, leaving layers from different periods one on top of the other.
The name comes from the saddlemakers who once worked in this neighborhood and honored Saint Petka as their patron. Visitors entering the space today will find icons and candles that show this small church is still in active use as a place of worship.
The church is in the heart of Sofia and can be reached through the underpass below the TZUM department store, without going outside. Because the building sits well below street level, visitors need to descend a staircase, which may be difficult for people with limited mobility.
After World War II, archaeologists working beneath the church found an underground chamber that may be linked to Bulgarian freedom fighter Vasil Levski. The discovery has never been fully resolved and remains a point of debate among historians to this day.
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