Church of St Petka of the Saddlers, Sofia, Bulgaria

The Church of St Petka of the Saddlers is a small one-naved building partially dug into the ground located in the very centre of both the modern and the antique city, in the TZUM underpass. The church features a semi-cylindrical vault, a hemispherical apse, and a crypt discovered during excavations after the Second World War. The walls are 1 m thick and made from brick and stone.

The church was first mentioned in the 16th century and was constructed at the place of a former Roman religious building. It is today a monument of culture known for its mural paintings from the 14th, 15th, 17th and 19th century depicting biblical scenes.

The church is dedicated to St Petka, an 11th-century Bulgarian saint. The Church of Saint Petka acquired its present name due to it being a patron of the saddlers in the Middle Ages, who performed their rituals in the church. The adjective samardzhiyski ('of the saddlers') was derived from the Ottoman Turkish word semerci, meaning 'saddlemaker'.

References:

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Religious sites in Bulgaria

User Reviews

Seah Shao Jun Nigel (2 years ago)
Marvelous orthodox church located in Roman ruins and the Seredika station. You simply can't miss it. Stop by for a short while to witness its marvel and also how human civilizations have advanced over these centuries

Kaushik Manjunatha (2 years ago)
A nice orthodox old church near the ruins of Roman times..

Stanislav Degtjarjov (2 years ago)
Wonder that is hidden between modern buildings and highways. Kept as authentic as possible. Thanks to the city heritage preservation program kept untouched and maintained.

L AKi (2 years ago)
Not very friendly staff member just stared at us like she didn’t want us there. We did not feel welcome. Also you cannot take photos for some reason, even without flash. We left as we did not feel welcome without even looking around properly. You cannot go upstairs as it is closed off.

Klaus Wanderer (6 years ago)
Small church in the city center, one of the oldest churches in Sofia together with the St. George Rotonda. It was first mentioned in the 16th century but it is probably much older than that. I couldn't get inside as ut was locked but from the outside it seems well preserved. Too bad such an old monument today serves as the entrance to a subway station.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Church of St Petka of the Saddlers

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