Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph

The Cathedral of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital. Together with the Cathedral of St Louis in Plovdiv, it serves as the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv.

The cathedral, which had been destroyed by Allied bombing raids during WWII, was reopened on May 21, 2006, in the presence of Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. During his 2002 visit to Bulgaria, Pope John Paul II personally laid the foundation stone for the new cathedral.

“Saint Joseph” is Bulgaria’s largest Catholic cathedral, with 350 seats and a capacity of 1,000 worshipers. The cathedral is 23 metres long, 15 metres wide, 19 metres high with a roof height of 23 metres, and 33 metres high with a tower equipped with four electronically operated bells. The cathedral is outfitted with a body, and a 7-meter wooden cross of Christ stands over the altar. Under the cross is an icon of Mary (the mother of Jesus), given by Patriarch Maxim at the temple’s dedication.

On both sides of the presbytery are two statues, one of St. Joseph Cathedral’s patron and the other of Capuchin patron St. Francis of Assisi.

The icon of God’s Mercy, with the inscription “Jesus, I trust in thee,” is located on the right side of the entrance. This icon is associated with Faustina Kowalska’s devotion to Divine Mercy and the birth of Jesus into the world. At the entrance is a statue of Mary (Mother of Jesus), who appeared to St. Bernadette Subiru in Lourdes in 1858 and was declared to be a pure conception. On the other side of the cathedral’s gate are statues of some of the Catholic Church’s most popular saints, including St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Carmelite barefoot, and St Anton from Padua Franciscan.

A statue of Pope John XXIII stands near the cathedral’s fence and was consecrated by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the parish in 2002.