Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Eastern Orthodox cathedral in central Sofia, Bulgaria
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a five-nave, cross-domed basilica in the Neo-Byzantine style, its central gold-plated dome rising 45 m (46.3 m with the cross) above a drum of arched windows. The 53 m bell tower stands to the left, topped by a small green cupola. Green copper roofs and smaller domes with gold crosses cover the pale stone walls, which are pierced by arched windows and colonnades.
The cathedral's construction began in 1882 to honor Russian soldiers who died during Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman rule. The building took many decades to complete and symbolizes this significant historical moment in Bulgarian history.
The cathedral is dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, the Russian prince and saint who defeated the Teutonic Order at the Battle of Lake Peipus; his name honours Tsar Alexander II, the Liberator. To the left of the altar a case displays relics of the saint given by the Russian Orthodox Church, and the crypt holds a museum of Bulgarian icons from the 12th to 19th centuries.
The cathedral stands on its own square, Alexander Nevsky Square, not on the city's central square; the square is paved and open, with the main entrance reached by steps on the right side. The crypt museum of Bulgarian icons, part of the National Art Gallery, is entered separately from the church. Nearby are St. Sofia Church, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, the Bulgarian Parliament and the Ivan Vazov park with its flea market of textiles, icons and antiques.
The crypt, intended as a tomb, became in 1965 a museum of medieval and ancient art under the National Art Gallery, showing Bulgarian icons and wall paintings from the 12th to 19th centuries. The cathedral claims the largest collection of Orthodox icons in Europe. To the left of the altar a case holds relics of Alexander Nevsky given by the Russian Orthodox Church; the Bulgarian plaque says only "relics", and the item appears to be a piece of a rib.
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