St Sophia Basilica
The St Sophia Basilica is associated with Serdica's last days of glory in the 6th century
. Actually, this was the third time the church rose from the ashes, having been previously destroyed twice by Goths and Huns.In the Second Bulgarian Empire (12th to 14th century), it acquired the status of a metropolitan church, giving the city its latest name: Sofia. By a twist of fortune, however, it was turned into a mosque in the 16th century and almost destroyed in two successive earthquakes thirty years later.
Restored after 1878, this church is now one of the most valuable pieces of early Christian architecture in the Balkans, according to scholars. According to popular lore, St Sophia's miraculous powers protected the lovely building over the centuries, warding off human invasions and natural disasters to keep the church as an instance of the elegant, austere and symmetrical architecture of the age.
posted by Tanya @ 9:17 AM
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