Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church

The Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church, historically known as The Black Mosque (Turkish: Kara Camii), is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital. It was built between 1901 and 1902 as an Ottoman mosque that was subsequently turned into an orthodox church, and it was dedicated on July 27, 1903. The church is named after Cyril and Methodius and their five followers, known as the Sedmochislenitsi in the Orthodox Church.

The Black Mosque was erected under the orders of Suleiman the Magnificent in 1528 with the purpose of being more majestic and beautiful than the city’s Christian churches. Although this is not known, the mosque is often credited to the famed Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. It was built on the site of a previous Rila Monastery nunnery and an Early Christian temple from the 4th-5th centuries, the remnants of which were discovered in 1901. In the mosque’s foundations, an even earlier structure, a pagan temple of Asclepius from Roman Serdica, was also uncovered.

The 25-meter-long mosque was square in design and had a massive lead-covered dome. After Mehmed-paša Sokolović, the mosque was formerly known as the Koca Mehmed Pasha Mosque. Another name for the mosque was the Maret Mosque, after the imaret, a nearby poor kitchen whose remnants were discovered in 1912. In what is now the tiny yard between the current church and the Count Ignatiev School, a madrasah, or Muslim religious school, was established. Following Bulgaria’s liberation, the madrasah was converted into a jail. A caravanserai and a hammam were among adjacent Ottoman structures.

The mosque’s more common moniker, the Black Mosque, was derived from the black granite used to construct its tower. The minaret fell following an earthquake in the nineteenth century, and the mosque was abandoned by the Ottomans when Bulgaria was liberated in 1878, becoming a military depot and jail.

The Russian Alexander Pomerantsev, who designed the Upper Trade Rows on Red Square among other structures, proposed converting the previously Ottoman mosque into a Christian church. The dome, narthex, and bell tower were created in a classic Bulgarian style by Bulgarian architects Yordan Milanov and Petko Momchilov, who were influenced by the Romanticism movement. Only the original mosque’s central hall and dome were maintained, with four oval bays, a narthex, and an altar portion added.

The building work took a year, from May 27, 1901 to May 6, 1902, however the interior ornamentation was not completed until 1996. Tsar Ferdinand (designated as the major church donor in 1905) and Ivan Evstratiev Geshov were among the initial contributors, and the icons were created by young artists. Petko Karavelov, a famous Bulgarian leader, also contributed heavily to the church’s construction and was buried nearby in January 1903.

The enormous candlesticks in front of the altar were made in 1903 from old police badges from Eastern Rumelia and the Principality of Bulgaria (i.e. before the Unification in 1885). Georgi Hadzhinikolov, a well-known watchmaker, designed an electric clock that is still in service and was installed on the western façade in the 1930s. The time also saw the construction of a small garden and a plaza near the church.

Petko Stoichev Karavelov (24 March 1843 – 24 January 1903), a renowned Bulgarian liberal politician who served as Prime Minister four times, is buried beside his wife on the grounds of the Sveti Sedmochislenitsi.

History of Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church

Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the construction of the so-called Black Mosque in 1528.

His objective was for it to be more beautiful and magnificent than all of the city’s Christian temples. The mosque’s construction is attributed to the well-known Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, albeit this is dubious.

The mosque’s foundations were a pagan temple of Asclepius dating from Roman Serdica, and subsequently, a former nunnery of the famed Rila Monastery. In 1901, the remnants of the temples were discovered.

The Black Mosque got its unusual moniker from the black granite that served as the base for its tower. The minaret, however, fell in the nineteenth century as a result of an earthquake. Following Bulgaria’s liberation, the Ottomans abandoned the mosque, which had become a jail and a military depot.

Alexander Pomerantsev, a Russian architect, proposed converting the mosque into a Christian church. Petko Momchilov and Yordan Milanov, prominent Bulgarian architects, designed the narthex, bell tower, and dome. They were created in a classic Bulgarian style influenced by the Romanticism movement. The dome and the central hall were the sole remnants of the ancient mosque. There was an altar part, a narthex, and four oval bays added.

The chapel was built in a year (1901-1902), however the inside design was not completed until 1996. Petko Karavelov, a well-known Bulgarian politician, contributed significantly to the church’s construction and was buried nearby in 1903.