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The
Rotunda is a part of a large complex of ancient buildings from the late 3rd and early 4th century. It was built of red bricks and has a complex symmetry. At the centre, there is a domed rotunda room with a circular plan on a square base with semicircular niches in the corners. Since the 4th
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The church is located in the courtyard between Hotel Balkan and the
Presidency at a level a few metres below the modern streets of the capital. It is considered to be the oldest preserved building in the city, built at a time when Sofia was the residence of the emperors
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on the walls: the oldest is a Roman-Byzantine with floral motifs from the 4th century; the second in
Bulgarian medieval style with angels from the 10th century; the third from the 11th and 12th centuries – a frieze with prophets and frescoes depicting the
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and the tiles lifting the floor can be seen today. Experts define it as one of the most beautiful buildings in the so-called "Constantine district" of
Serdika-Sredets, where the palace of Emperor Constantine the Great, and later of
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has a huge cultural impact. It is subject to extensive research and legitimate interest not only among the
Orthodox and Catholic church communities and prominent science and culture figures, but it attracts many
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were situated. Having survived the trials of time and having kept its appearance almost untouched, it is assumed that some of the most important meetings of the
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In exceptional occasions, the church is used as a setting for solemn military ceremonies and concerts with
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inside the central dome. Three layers of frescoes have been discovered, the earliest dating back to the 10th century. Frescoes of 22
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rises to 13.70 m from the floor. Through the centuries it had been used as a public, religious and even a representative building.
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Outstanding among all the murals is the one from the 10th century, created most probably during the reign of the emperors
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in 1187. The relics of the saint rested here again when they were solemnly carried from the then-capital
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structure built on a square base, is famous for the 12th-, 13th-, and 14th-century
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In the church, there were kept the holy relics of the patron saint of
Bulgaria -
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The St. George
Rotunda and some remains of Serdica can be seen in the foreground
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church is considered the oldest building in modern Sofia and belongs to the
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and, according to the legend, they were used to cure the
Byzantine Emperor
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century, it has been used for christening (baptising) ceremonies. The
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north of the entrance, and the fifth with
Islamic ornamental motifs.
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Rizos, Efthymios; Darley, Rebecca (2018), Nicholson, Oliver (ed.),
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The church is part of a larger archaeological complex. Behind the
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from the Byzantine and two distinct Bulgarian Periods under the
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10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-4297
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over 2 metres tall crown the dome. Painted over during the
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Despite its small size, the church is similar to the
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in 1469. At first, here was buried the Serbian king
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Gallery with pictures of the frescoes of the church
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631:Gallery with pictures of the church and the ruins
493:Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayers
443:rule in the 16th century, the church became a
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346:There are five layers of partially preserved
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203:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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267:Learn how and when to remove this message
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981:Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Maker Church
563:The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity
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342:Interior of Church of St. George, Sofia
1362:Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square
805:National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria
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856:Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
523:History of Roman and Byzantine domes
393:Church of Saint George, Sofia - plan
201:adding citations to reliable sources
118:. Built in the early 4th century as
27:Red brick rotunda in Sofia, Bulgaria
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919:National Museum of Military History
1001:Saint Petka of the Saddlers Church
924:National Museum of Natural History
412:After a short stay in the capital
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991:Saint Nicholas Mirlikiyski Church
757:Sofia Cherveno zname swim complex
909:National Gallery for Foreign Art
647:, София 1933 (преиздадена 2005).
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1208:Monument to the Unknown Soldier
508:List of oldest church buildings
327:had taken place in the church.
216:"Church of Saint George, Sofia"
1203:Monument to the Tsar Liberator
1006:Saints Sedmochislenitsi Church
899:National Archaeological Museum
645:Софийската църква „Св. Георги“
453:National Archaeological Museum
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889:Earth and Man National Museum
772:Vasil Levski National Stadium
752:PFC CSKA Sofia Sports Complex
498:Christianization of Bulgaria
451:and the Sofia Mosque (today
145:The building, a cylindrical
1198:Monument to the Soviet Army
800:Ivan Vazov National Theatre
565:, Oxford University Press,
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961:Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
934:Museum of Regional History
914:National Historical Museum
826:National Palace of Culture
513:Ancient Roman architecture
1110:Central Sofia Market Hall
538:Timeline of Sofia history
503:Bulgarian Orthodox Church
488:List of churches in Sofia
418:restored Bulgarian Empire
140:Bulgarian Orthodox Church
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48:42.6968750°N 23.3228750°E
1357:Patriarch Evtimiy Square
1259:National Academy of Arts
1213:Monument to Vasil Levski
1191:Monuments and structures
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767:Stadion Georgi Asparuhov
475:and ordinary tourists.
165:History and architecture
1441:Roman sites in Bulgaria
1244:Amphitheatre of Serdica
894:Museum of Socialist Art
762:Stadion Balgarska Armia
1385:Georgi Rakovski Street
996:Saint Paraskeva Church
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600:"Rotonda Sveti Georgi"
518:Rotunda (architecture)
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88:Ротонда „Свети Георги“
80:Church of Saint George
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782:Winter Sports Palace
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182:This section
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39:23°19′22.35″E
36:42°41′48.75″N
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1156:Capital Fort
1135:Royal Palace
1130:Vrana Palace
970:
735:Sport venues
644:
608:. Retrieved
604:the original
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584:, retrieved
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399:John of Rila
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195:Please help
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128:Roman Empire
104:Late Antique
79:
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74:Roman street
29:
1311:City Garden
846:Court House
439:During the
370:the Great,
126:during the
120:Roman baths
51: /
1415:Categories
1218:Roman wall
839:Government
693:structures
610:2013-09-16
586:2020-06-12
544:References
468:St. George
380:golden age
357:Assumption
227:newspapers
106:red brick
1274:Sofia Zoo
1170:Transport
1045:Retailing
876:galleries
684:landmarks
559:"Serdica"
414:Esztergom
353:Ascension
316:hypocaust
257:July 2018
184:does not
93:romanized
84:Bulgarian
1151:Sky Fort
1069:The Mall
953:Churches
792:Theatres
482:See also
473:pilgrims
407:Béla III
368:Simeon I
348:frescoes
312:basilica
297:Galerius
284:Frescoes
155:prophets
151:frescoes
116:Bulgaria
1377:Streets
1331:Squares
1321:Vitosha
1103:Markets
871:Museums
702:Bridges
441:Ottoman
424:to the
422:Tarnovo
382:of the
372:Peter I
241:scholar
205:removed
190:sources
108:rotunda
102:) is a
95::
727:venues
577:
445:mosque
376:Samuil
361:bishop
243:
236:
229:
222:
214:
134:. The
1298:Parks
1237:Other
1020:Other
851:Largo
819:Other
682:Sofia
248:JSTOR
234:books
147:domed
112:Sofia
575:ISBN
374:and
333:dome
308:apse
299:and
288:Dome
220:news
188:any
186:cite
130:and
78:The
1333:and
873:and
567:doi
462:in
436:).
199:by
110:in
1417::
573:,
561:,
386:.
355:,
303:.
142:.
114:,
90:,
86::
674:e
667:t
660:v
613:.
569::
270:)
264:(
259:)
255:(
245:·
238:·
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207:.
193:.
82:(
20:)
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