ALEXANDER NEVSKY CATHEDRAL THE ST. ALEXANDERNEVSKY CATHEDRAL IS SITUATED IN THE CENTER OFSOFIA. IT IS LOCATED ON THE SQUARE WHICH BEARSITS NAME. THE IMPRESSIVE BUILDING COVERS THE AREAOF 2600 SQUARE METERS AND ITS UNIQUE ARCHITECTUREDETERMINES THE CATHEDRAL AS ONE OF THE LANDMARKSIN SOFIA WHICH YOU MUST VISIT AT ALL COST. THETEMPLE IS A HUGE FIVE NAVE CROSS DOMED BASILICATHE ARCHITECTURE OF WHICH COMBINES BULGARIAN,BYZANTINE AND RUSSIAN ELEMENTS. ITS BUILDING HASBEGUN IN 1904 AND ENDED IN 1912. THE TEMPLE WASBUILT IN HONOUR OF THE BULGARIAN LIBERTY FROMOTTOMAN YOKE IN 1877 1878. THE GILT DOMES OF THECATHEDRAL ARE EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL. THE BELFRYWITH THE CROSS WHICH IS 53. 5 METERS HIGH AND ITS12 BELLS ARE VERY INTERESTING. THIS IS THEBIGGEST MEMORIAL CATHEDRAL ON THE BALKANPENINSULA....................................3 KMRILA MONASTERY THE RILSKI MONASTERY ST. IVANRILSKI IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE MONUMENTS OFTHE BULGARIAN ARCHITECTURE AND ART. IT IS THEOLDEST INHABITED CLOISTER IN OUR COUNTRY. IT HASALSO BEEN THE BIGGEST LITERARY CENTER IN BULGARIASINCE THE OTTOMAN YOKE. THE MONASTERY WAS FOUNDEDIN THE 10TH CENTURY BY THE BULGARIAN HERMIT IVANRILSKI WHO LATER WAS CANONIZED AS A SAINT. THEMONASTERY WAS ERECTED ON ITS PRESENT PLACE IN THE14TH CENTURY AS AT THE BEGINNING ONLY ONE DEFENCETOWER WAS BUILT. THE SUCCEEDING MOST IMPORTANTPART OF THE BUILDING OF THE MONASTERY WAS THEPERIOD 1816 1870 WHEN WITH FUNDS COLLECTED FROMTHE WHOLE NATION AND WITH THE HARD WORK OF MANYMASTER BUILDERS, WOOD CUTTERS, ICON PAINTERS,SCULPTORS AND ARTISTS, THE BIGGEST BULGARIANMONASTERY, WHICH IS PRESERVED IN THIS APPEARANCEEVEN TODAY, WAS BUILT. IT IS ANNOUNCED AS ANINTERNATIONAL MONUMENT BY UNESCO. THE MONASTERYIS LOCATED IN RILA MOUNTAIN, 129 KILOMETERSSOUTH WESTERN FROM SOFIA, AND 4 KILOMETERS FROMTHE TOWN OFRILA.......................................110 KMTHE BOYANA CHURCH SEVERAL CULTURAL AND NATURALMONUMENTS WHICH ARE PROTECTED B