The St. Alexander Nevsky patriarchal cathedral is one of the most vivid symbols of Bulgaria’s capital city. The cathedral is loaded with history though little is known about it.
The idea to build it belongs to prominent politician Petko Karavelov and the decision was made by the Bulgarian parliament in Veliko Turnovo. Initially, the cathedral was to be built in Veliko Turnovo, but once Sofia was selected capital of the country, the location was changed. The church was erected as a token of gratitude to the Russian people for Bulgaria’s liberation from Ottoman domination. The foundation stone was laid in 1882, but the actual construction work started 22 whole years later – in August 1904. There is a small metal box buried in its foundations containing the names of all cabinet members. The first design was by Russian architect Academician Ivan Bogomilov, but after his death the architectural plans were altered drastically by another Russian, Prof. Alexander Pomerantsev. The choice of name for the cathedral is no coincidence either – St. Alexander Nevsky was a prominent Russian military commander and diplomat, patron of Russian emperor Alexander II. The cathedral’s icons were painted by renowned Bulgarian and Russian artists and it was consecrated in 1924, as in 1912, when it was finished the First Balkan War broke out. Nowadays the cathedral whose architectural and artistic value is immeasurable is in dire need of restoration, especially of its frescoes. Experts say that they are so damaged because of the speed with which they were painted so as to meet the deadline for the cathedral’s inauguration. To abide by the timeframe, the painters added vinegar to their paint, supposedly to keep the colours fresh. The only repair work done since it was built was the gilding of its domes in 2000.
One initiative for saving the cathedral is a documentary called Sofia’s heart of gold by Goran Blagoev, journalist from Bulgarian National TV and producer Nayo Titsin. How did the idea for the film come about and why was its completion delayed by two years?
“This year we mark 90 years since the St. Alexander Nevsky cathedral was consecrated, reason enough for the film Sofia’s heart of gold to come out. The fact is that Goran and I planned to have it finished for the centennial anniversary of the cathedral’s construction which was back in 2012. But for several objective reasons the shoot, the editing and the overall production of the film was delayed by almost 18 months. First, in 2012 someone threw a rock at the big altar icon of Jesus Christ, tearing it. So, the icon had to be restored and that took 3-4 months. So, we decided to show part of the restoration process too. Then Patriarch Maxim died and that again put off the film’s completion. We decided to wait for a new patriarch to be elected – by then it was 2013. Finally we came to the conclusion that we could have the film ready for the 90th anniversary of the cathedral’s consecration.”
The church wants to be owner of St. Alexander Nevsky but it was actually built on donations by citizens as well as by the state. At the time, its construction cost 5 million gold leva…
“To my mind it is only natural for the St. Alexander Nevsky cathedral to be owned by the Holy Synod,” Nayo Titsin goes on to say. “Naturally, it is a national monument and it should be taken care of by the Synod but also by the state. The cathedral is in an appalling state. It is in urgent need of repair so that the frescoes by some of the most prominent Russian and Bulgarian artists from more than 100 years ago may be preserved. Whether we like them or not, these frescoes are an artifact, part of our history, a testimony to the way artists worked back then and it is important to preserve them. We want to release the documentary on DVD, translated into many different languages and we shall donate them all to the cathedral where they can be sold to tourists.”
English Milena Daynova
