The Church of St Sophia

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The Church of St Sophia (Sveta Sofia) is the second oldest church in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The church was built on the site of several earlier churches and places of worship dating back to the days when it was the necropolis of the Roman town of Serdica. In the 2nd century CE, it was the location of a Roman theatre. Over the next few centuries, several other churches were erected, only to be destroyed by invading forces such as the Goths and the Huns.

During the Second Bulgarian Empire (spanning the 12th to 14th centuries), the structure acquired the status of a metropolitan church. In the 14th century, the church gave its name to the city (Sophia meaning "holy wisdom" in Greek). During Ottoman rule, the church was converted into a mosque: the original twelfth-century frescoes were destroyed and minarets were added. In the 19th century two earthquakes destroyed one of the minarets and the mosque was abandoned. Restoration work began after 1900.

The Church of St Sophia is now one of the most valuable pieces of Early Christian architecture in the Southeastern Europe.

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