St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria.

It was built to honor Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, after which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule. Since at that time Bulgarians didn’t have an army, the main part of the war was undertaken by the Russian army. It was named after Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince, later declared a saint, who was the personal patron-saint of the Emperor Alexander II of Russia.

The decision to start construction work on the cathedral was taken by the Constituent Council. The financial funds were raised by all the Orthodox parishes in the country.

The initial architectural design of the church was created by the Bulgarian architect Ivan Bogomilov. After his death, a team of Russian architects led by Alexander Pomerantsev was called in, who completely changed the project. The construction works began in 1904 and were finished in 1912.

It is a cross-domed basilica featuring an emphasized central dome. Its golden dome is 148 feet (45 m) high—152 feet (46.3 m) with the cross—and the bell tower reaches 174 feet (53 m). The ceiling span of the central nave is 92 feet (28 m). The temple has 12 bells with a total weight of 23 tons. The interior is decorated with Italian marble in various colors, Brazilian onyx, alabaster and other luxurious materials.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org