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One of the finest pieces of architecture in the Balkans and certainly Sofia's crowning glory, the Aleksandar Nevski memorial church honours the 200,000 Russian casualties of the 1877-78 War of Liberation, particularly the defenders of the Shipka pass. Financed by public subscription and built between 1882 and 1924 to the designs of St Petersburg architect Pomerantsev, it's a magnificent structure, bulging with domes and half-domes and glittering with 18lb of gold leaf donated by the Soviet Union in 1960. Within the cavernous interior, a white-bearded God glowers down from the main cupola, an angelic sunburst covers the central vault, and as a parting shot a Day of Judgement looms above the exit. Expressive frescos lacking the stiffness of Byzantine portraiture depict episodes from the life of Christ in rich tones, and the grandeur of the iconostasis is enhanced by twin thrones with columns of onyx and alabaster. Orthodox congregations stand or kneel during services, although the weak and the elderly traditionally lean or sit on benches round the side. The church's capacity of 5000 is ample for daily services (usually in the morning at around 9.30am, and in the evening at about 5pm), which can be spectacular affairs, rich with incense, candlelight and sonorous chanting. The crypt , entered from the outside, contains a superb collection of icons (daily except Tues 10.30am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm; US$2) from all over the country. They're mostly eighteenth- and nineteenth-century pieces, but look out for some medieval gems from the coastal town of Nesebar, home to a prolific icon-painting school, and source of the oldest icon on display here, a serene, white-bearded St Nicholas. Other highlights include a fourteenth-century wood-carved bas-relief from Sozopol showing saints George and Dimitar riding together against some common foe. The horsemen are regarded as brother-saints in the Balkans, not least because their feast days (May 6 for George, October 26 for Dimitar) play an important ritual role in marking the beginnings of the summer and winter cycles in the agricultural year. They're often pictured together in Bulgarian art, with St George invariably riding a white steed, Dimitar a red one.
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