Source: www.sofialive.bg

The Church of St. Nicholas or better known as the Russian church is located at a central place in the city of Sofia between the Parliament and the Council of Ministers buildings.

It was built on a terrain of the Russian embassy and designed by Mihail Preobrazhenski (who took part in the construction of the Shipka Monument), especially for the needs of the Russian immigrants in Sofia. It is in traditional Muscovite style characterized by an old-fashioned Northern wooden architecture. It was completed in 1912 and inaugurated on 11 November 1914.

The wall paintings were made by a team of painters led by Vasiliy Perminov (one of the authors of the wall paintings in “Alexander Nevsky” cathedral).

The five small domes of the church are made of gold (the central one is 19m high) and the bells were donated by the Russian tsar Nicholas II.

The crypt housing the remains of Saint Archbishop Seraphim in a marble coffin is located beneath the Russian Church's main floor.

The Archbishop governed the Russian Orthodox communities in Bulgaria from 1921 till his death in 1950.

Legend has it that if you confess your wish to him, he will make it true. This is the reason why dozens of people keep going to his grave leaving notes with their most intimate wishes.