Church "St. Petka - the little one"

It is believed to have been built in 1241 as a palace church of Sebastokrator Alexander, ruler of the city and brother of Tsar Ivan Assen II. In 1385 Bulgaria fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and the church was destroyed by the Turks. Probably consequently it was recovered, because in 1578 there is certain evidence that it was operational again. Probably, at this location an even older temple existed dating back to the dawn of Christianity, yet these hypotheses are not confirmed.
The temple is located beneath buildings’ level and has two entrances. The one coming from “Saborna” Str. is very low, with low and exquisitely carved wooden doors. If you are not aware of it, you may miss it, because it was built into the modern building – the one of Sofia metropolis religious jurisdiction. The other entrance comes from “Kaloyan” street, whereas in order to get to it you need to pass through a beautiful and solitary patio with a colonnade. There, should you lift your head up, you will see the bell-tower above the entrance, as well as the inscription “Ancient temple “Saint Petka” 1241.
Church’s interior is well-maintained and is untouched for hundreds of years. It used to preserve particles of the relics of three saints – “Saint Paraskeva” or “Petka” (translated from Greek language), Saint Therapontos – a bishop from Sofia, killed by the Turks because of his Christian faith and the slipper of the saint “Saint Spyridon the Miraculous” brought from the island of Corfu. At both sides of the altar, behind the glass we could see parts of the drawn church icons that remained since the ХVI century.