St. Francis of Assisi church, Sofia, Catholic church building in central Sofia, Bulgaria
St. Francis of Assisi church is a Catholic church on Prof. Asen Zlatarov Street in the Doktorski Pametnik quarter of central Sofia. It was built in 1899 as a public chapel for Roman Catholic families, designed by Czech architect Bogdan Prošek. The church is the oldest Catholic church in Sofia and has been a monument of culture of local importance since 1976.
The church was built and consecrated in 1899 as a public chapel for Roman Catholic families, designed by Czech architect Bogdan Prošek. It was initially run by the Capuchins, and from 1926 to 1930 the future Pope Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli lived in the adjacent compound as apostolic nuncius. Carmelite nuns settled there in 1935 and Byzantine-rite liturgies began; in 1952 the nuns were arrested under the communist campaign against Catholic orders.
The church is a double-rite Catholic church: since 2022 the Conventual Franciscans from Pleven serve the Eastern Catholic rite, while Latin-rite families in the neighbourhood once numbered about 300. The temple feast is 4 October, St Francis's day. A bookshop named after Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII who lived here in 1926–1930, sells Christian literature.
The church is regularly open to visitors and occasionally offers guided tours that explain the architectural features in detail. It is best to visit during quieter hours when you can study the interior design and decorative elements without crowds.
The building deliberately combines two distinct architectural traditions, which was an unusual choice in early 1900s Sofia. This fusion reflects the cultural influence that Western European architectural ideas had when the city was developing its modern identity.
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