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- Destinations
- Europe
- Bulgaria
- Sofia
- St. Sofia Church
St. Sofia Church
The St. Sofia Church is the oldest Eastern Orthodox church in
the city, dating from the 4th to 6th century, and is regarded as
one of the most significant examples of early Christian
architecture in the Balkans. In the 14th century the church gave
its name to the city of Sofia, meaning 'holy wisdom'. During the
Turkish rule the church was converted into a mosque, but was
abandoned after two successive earthquakes destroyed one of the
minarets almost 30 years later, and it was again converted into an
orthodox church. Local legends credit St Sofia's miraculous powers
for its protection over the centuries, surviving occupations and
natural disasters to remain as a spiritual inspiration to the
city.
Information & Facts
Address
Admission
Language
Bulgarian is the official language, which uses the
Cyrillic alphabet, but English, German and French is spoken in
resorts, hotels and restaurants.
Money
The official currency is the Lev (BGN), which is divided into
100 stotinki. The Lev is tied to the Euro at a fixed rate of EUR1 =
1.955 lev. Bulgaria has strict currency regulations. If you enter
Bulgaria with cash of any currency amounting to the equivalent of
8, 000 leva or more, you must declare it to customs officials.
Foreign currency may be exchanged in banks, hotels or at one of the
numerous bureaux de change, however due to a common practice of
misleading rates of exchange it is better to go to banks or hotels
to change money. A receipt called a
bordereauxis issued when exchanging currency, indicating
the amount that will be given, and it must be kept until departure.
Not all banks accept travellers cheques and those that do usually
charge a 5% commission. Major international credit cards are
increasingly becoming accepted by tourist hotels, upmarket shops
and restaurants, travel agents and car rental agents, but Bulgaria
is still largely a cash economy. There are ATMs in the main cities
and at Black Sea resorts.
Opening Times
Open daily, from 7am to 6pm
Time
Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3 from last Sunday in March to
last Sunday in October).