Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church "Virgin Mary"

More than 90 years ago, the Armenian community in Sofia lost its old church, built in the 17th century. Between 1936 and 2022, Armenians in Sofia used a prayer hall in the Armenian Cultural House adapted for church services. For years, Sofia Armenians have been raising funds and seeking support for the construction of a new temple, and this idea has become a community cause. At the end of 2006, according to the project of architect Agop Karakashyan, the construction of the first Armenian cathedral "Holy Virgin" ("Surp Astvadzadzin") in Bulgaria began on a site designated by the Metropolitan Municipality in the center of the city. In the spring of 2022, the only Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church opened its doors in the capital. The temple was built entirely with donations, and the construction lasted almost 15 years. The project of the building is the work of the famous Bulgarian architect of Armenian origin, Agop Karakashyan, responding to the traditional architecture of Armenian temples, especially with its typical pointed domes, the main one of which reaches a height of 24 meters. At the same time, the building has a modernist look, with large windows that make it extremely bright and welcoming inside. The citizens of Sofia can be proud of the presence of such a unique building in the heart of the capital, which complements its appearance as an extremely tolerant and religiously diverse city - along with the large Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox churches, the Catholic cathedral, the synagogue, the Greek church, mosque and many others in the center of Sofia.