Visiting Holy Synod Palace in Sofia Daily Tour
Sofia daily tour is full of surprises, always ready to take you to interesting buildings in Sofia. Just like Ephesus daily tours but this time in Ephesus, Turkey.
Very close to one of Sofia’s symbols, the Memorial Temple ‘St. Alexander Nevski’, as well as to the old ‘St. Sofia’ church, is the Synodal Palace. It carries its style peculiarities and appearance that impress the visitors. Moreover, it is the administration building for the Bulgarian Orthodox churches and the Holy Synod.
The architects of the Synodal Palace are Petko Momchilov and Jordan Milanov. The construction began in the year 1904 and it final completion was in 1909. The palace is another place that enriches the capital of Bulgaria with its remarkably beautiful facade and architectural style. Alternating white and brick rings, windows and arches in Byzantium style make the decoration of the facade.
In front of the main entrance of the building, amidst a small, elegant park is the monument of Hilarion Makariopolski. He is one of the early leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival. He was a member of the Holy Synod.
A monument built with a sense of responsibility and beauty
On our private tour Sofia we will see three members of the Holy Synod as central multi-coloured mosaic portrait above the entrance. These are the three major Bulgarian Revival figures. They are proponents of the Bulgarian National Church – Ilarion, Avksentiy Veleshki and Paisiy of Plovdiv. The main entrance is under a high portico with arch and on eight stone columns that end with beautiful capitals. The chapel of the Synod has been devoted to the forefather of the Christian Church in Bulgaria, Tzar Boris I, who Christianized Bulgaria.
The Synodal House has a courtyard in the style of the Italian Palace parks.
Unfortunately, the original sculptural elements went through destruction during the II World War. Today the Synodal Palace is the house of the Bulgarian Patriarch and it is open for visitors.
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the oldest Slavic Orthodox Church. The church has 6.5 million members in Bulgaria and roughly 1.5 – 2 million members outside of Bulgaria. with our tour guide Istanbul, in Istanbul, we usually visit the Patriarchate.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church was recognized as an independent church by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 927 AD. For different reasons, Constantinople holds a special place of honor within Orthodoxy and serves as the seat for the Ecumenical Patriarch.
The very successful style of the building with the right combination of materials, colours, shapes and figures give the complete concept of a building-monument built with a sense of responsibility and beauty.
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