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All Bulgaria Sofia Statue of Sveta Sofia

Statue of Sveta Sofia

"Holy Wisdom" overlooks the city that became its namesake.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Added By
Molly McBride Jacobson
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Statue of Sveta Sofia   Bin im Garten/Wikimedia Commons
Statue of Sveta Sofia   Bin im Garten/Wikimedia Commons
Statue of Sveta Sofia   Dennis Jarvis/Wikimedia Commons
Statue of Sveta Sofia   Bin im Garten/Wikimedia Commons
Statue of Sveta Sofia.   Bin im Garten/Wikimedia Commons
Sveta Sofia overlooking the Largo.   Cameltrader/Wikimedia Commons
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  mordekia / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Erected in 2000 to replace a statue of Lenin removed 10 years prior, Sveta Sofia stands tall, arms outstretched, golden-skinned and black-eyed, over Bulgaria's representative center.

Though it bears the name Sveta Sofia, the statue does not depict one individual, per se. Rather, she is a combination of figures. The two most commonly attributed are Sofia and Athena, both of Hellenistic origins. Both symbolize "Holy Wisdom" (or "Hagia Sofia", the expression for which the city and its founding church were named), and the statue contains ancient vestiges of that concept: the crown, the laurel wreath, and the owl.

She has also been a topic of debate among locals who bash the government for erecting a Sofia monument that actually has nothing to do with the Bulgarian city of Sofia or its history (as the city was named after the church Hagia Sofia).

Related Tags

Statues Monuments Mythology

Community Contributors

Added By

Molly McBride Jacobson

Edited By

jaden702, linkogecko, anselmoportes, mordekia...

  • jaden702
  • linkogecko
  • anselmoportes
  • mordekia
  • Collector of Experiences

Published

July 22, 2016

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Sources
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=taIEn8y8oTIC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=Statue+of+Sveta+Sofia&source=bl&ots=9g4KIv-U0A&sig=5VH0Q7mif-uM1b8uDJILuDmPfdM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=x5NcUd2QB8yF0QGZq4HgDQ#v=onepage&q=Statue%20of%20Sveta%20Sofia&f=false
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Sveta_Sofia
Statue of Sveta Sofia
St. Nedelya Square
Sofia
Bulgaria
42.69779, 23.321469
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Largo

Sofia, Bulgaria

miles away

The Red Flat

Sofia, Bulgaria

miles away

DZI Sofia Center

Sofia, Bulgaria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sofia

Sofia

Bulgaria

Places 11

Nearby Places

The Largo

Sofia, Bulgaria

miles away

The Red Flat

Sofia, Bulgaria

miles away

DZI Sofia Center

Sofia, Bulgaria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sofia

Sofia

Bulgaria

Places 11

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