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The area immediately north of bul. Ruski is dominated by pl. Aleksandar Nevski , another of Sofia's set-piece squares, an expanse of greenery and paving stones (overlaying what was, in Roman times, the necropolis of Serdica) overlooked by the twinkling domes of the Aleksandar Nevski memorial church. Entering the square from the western end, however, you first encounter the brown brick Church of Sveta Sofia . Dating from late Roman times, but much rebuilt after numerous invasions and earthquakes (the last one in 1858), the church still follows the classic Byzantine plan of a regular cross with a dome at the intersection. It was turned into a mosque by the Ottomans, and locals believed that it was haunted nightly by the ghost of Constantine the Great's daughter Sofia, supposed founder of the first church to stand on this site. An air of calm reigns in the gracefully simple interior, layers of Byzantine brickwork giving some idea of the church's vintage. Around the back an engraved boulder marks the grave of Ivan Vazov , who requested that he be buried amid the daily life of his people; you'll notice his statue, seated with book in hand, in a park nearby. Set beside the southern wall of the church is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, flanked by two recumbent lions. Immediately opposite Sveta Sofia, shielded by trees, a beige building sporting a stripe of brightly coloured ceramic tiles houses the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's Holy Synod , a fine example of the melding of Byzantine and Art-Nouveau styles which characterized so many of the public buildings thrown up at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1992 the Synod was the scene of controversy when reformist priests raided the building, ejecting those loyal to the sitting patriarch, whom they accused of having been a docile servant of the communists. The Bulgarian Church has been split into hostile camps ever since.
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