Saint Alexander Nevski Cathedral is one of Sofia’s most famous monuments. This neo-Byzantine structure, surmounted by copper and golden domes, was built to honour the Russian soldiers who died trying to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule during the War of Liberation in 1878.
The cathedral, one of the finest buildings in all the Balkan States, carries its name in honor of Alexander Nevski, patron saint of the family of the Russian Czar, Alexander II. Bulgaria honors the Russian Czar as a primary figure among its "founding fathers" with monuments to him in many cities.
Three altars inside the cathedral are dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevski, to Saint Boris, who brought Christianity to Bulgaria and the third to Saints Cyril and Methodius, who created the Cyrillic alphabet.
An Icon Museum is located in the Crypt, which houses around 300 exhibits following the development of Bulgarian icon-painting from the ninth to 19th centuries.
