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21-632: The monastery was founded in 1578. Its founder was Saint Timotheos of Euripos  [ el ] . Almost from its foundation, the monastery held stauropegic status, that is, directly attached to the Patriarch of Constantinople . Since 1858, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Athens. During the Ottoman period, the monastery owned numerous lands located on Mount Penteli, as well as in other regions of Attica. The monastery

42-467: A local Bishop . The practice of exempting some monasteries from jurisdictions of local bishops, placing them under a direct jurisdiction of the patriarch, was present at least since the reign of Byzantine Emperor Maurice (582-602). Such exemptions became more common after the Council of Constantinople (861). In time, those practices included not only monasteries, but also various parochial churches, to

63-571: A local bishop, but are directly subjected to a higher hierarch, usually a patriarch. Such parishes are created for various reasons, symbolic or practical. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral ( Bulgarian : Храм-паметник "Свети Александър Невски" , Hram-pametnik "Sveti Aleksandar Nevski" ) is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia , the capital of Bulgaria . Built in Neo-Byzantine style , it serves as

84-825: Is a monastery or a parish which depends directly on the primate or on the Holy Synod of a particular Church, and which is not under the jurisdiction of the local bishop . The name comes from the Byzantine tradition of summoning the Patriarch to place a cross at the foundation of stauropegic monasteries or parochial churches . Such exempt jurisdictions, both monastic and parochial, are common in Eastern Christianity , mainly in Eastern Orthodox Churches , but also in some Eastern Catholic Churches . Their institutional counterparts in

105-653: Is in post-Byzantine style. The monastery buildings have a capacity of 120 monks. The monastery also houses a museum, as well as a library. The monastery celebrates the 15th (Dormition of the Theotokos) and 16 August (memory of the founder, Saint Timotheos), as well as the Monday of the feast of the Holy Spirit . Stauropegic A stauropegion , also spelled stavropegion (from Greek : σταυροπήγιον from σταυρός stauros "cross" and πήγνυμι pegnumi "to affirm"),

126-502: Is the largest cathedral in the Balkans . It is believed that up until the year 2000 it was the largest finished Orthodox cathedral. The construction of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral started in 1882 (having been planned since 19 February 1879), when the foundation stone was laid, but most of it was built between 1904 and 1912. Saint Alexander Nevsky was a Russian prince. The cathedral

147-579: The Latin Church ecclesiastical order of the Catholic Church are various exempt jurisdictions , such as monasteries that are directly subjected to the Holy See of Rome . A stauropegic monastery, also rendered "stavropegic", "stauropegial" or "stavropegial", is an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic Christian monastery , subordinated directly to a primate or Synod , rather than to

168-786: The National Art Gallery . The church claims that the museum contains the largest collection of Orthodox icons in Europe . The cathedral is adjacent to St. Sofia Church , the church for which the city of Sofia is named. Other notable landmarks in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral are the Monument to the Unknown Soldier , the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences , the National Gallery of Foreign Art,

189-824: The Sofia Seminary are also directly subordinate to the Bulgarian Patriarch and Synod. Several major Serbian Orthodox monasteries had special status in Middle Ages. Today, the Serbian Orthodox Church has two stauropegic monasteries: The first stauropegic monastery in the Russian Orthodox Church was Simonov Monastery (1383). It was subordinated directly to the Ecumenical Patriarch , because it

210-461: The cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is one of the 50 largest Christian church buildings by volume in the world. It is one of Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions. St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,100 sq ft) and can hold 5,000 people inside. It is among the 10 largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings . It

231-817: The Russian Orthodox Church: Monasteries of Moscow : Monasteries of Central Russia: Monasteries of North-Western Russia: Monasteries outside Russia: A stauropegial monastery ( monasterium stauropegiaceum ) under patriarchal jurisdiction ( monasterium iuris patriarchalis ) is a monastery that is subject directly to the patriarch (can. 434 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches). Monasteries in Ukraine: Stauropegic parishes in Eastern Orthodoxy are exempt parishes that are not under jurisdiction of

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252-603: The central nave is 28 metres (92 ft) The temple has 12 bells with total weight of 23 tons , the heaviest weighing 12 tons and the lightest 10 kilograms (22 lb). The interior is decorated with Italian marble in various colours, Brazilian onyx , alabaster , and other luxurious materials. The central dome has the Lord's Prayer inscribed around it, with thin gold letters. There are many churches in Bulgaria which are smaller copies of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral like

273-483: The construction and decoration were done by a team of Bulgarian, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and other European artists, architects and workers, including the aforementioned architects, as well as Petko Momchilov , Yordan Milanov , Haralampi Tachev , Ivan Mrkvička , Vasily Bolotnov , Nikolay Bruni , Alexander Kiselyov , Anton Mitov and many others. The marble parts and the lighting fixtures were created in Munich ,

294-662: The extent that authorities had to regulate the issue by imposing stricter criteria for the creation of such exemptions. Stauropegic monasteries are distinguished from the greatest monasteries, called lavras , and from the patriarchal metochions , where the patriarch serves as a parish priest. The metochions of the Patriarch of Moscow are the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery and Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery . The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has three stauropegic monasteries: The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and

315-620: The metal elements for the gates in Berlin , while the gates themselves were manufactured in Karl Bamberg's factory in Vienna , and the mosaics were shipped from Venice . The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a cross-domed basilica featuring an emphasized central dome . The cathedral's gold-plated dome is 45 m high (148 ft) (46.3 m (152 ft) with the cross), with the bell tower reaching 53 metres (174 ft). The roof span of

336-522: The temples in the following towns: Valchedram , Sandanski , Dolna Mitropoliya , Kyustendil , Kaspichan , Breznik , Dorkovo village. The name of the cathedral was briefly changed to the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral between 1916 and 1920 (since Bulgaria and Russia belonged to opposing alliances in World War I ), but then the initial name was restored. The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

357-490: Was consecrated on 12 September 1924 and in 1955 was declared a cultural monument. To the left of the altar is a case displaying relics of Alexander Nevsky , given by the Russian Orthodox Church. Although the accompanying Bulgarian-language plaque refers simply to "relics" (мощи), the item on display appears to be a piece of a rib. There is a museum of Bulgarian icons inside the cathedral crypt, part of

378-491: Was continued by other Patriarchs and by the Holy Governing Synod . Stauropegic houses were not always the most important monasteries, the holiest, the richest, or the largest. They might have been dear to the ruling Patriarch for personal reasons. In the 19th century, apart from four lavras , seven monasteries were considered stauropegial: As of 2000 , the following monasteries were recognized as stauropegial by

399-529: Was created in honour to the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 , as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule. The cathedral was designed by Alexander Pomerantsev , aided by Alexander Smirnov and Alexander Yakovlev, as the initial 1884–1885 project of Ivan Bogomolov was radically changed by Pomerantsev. The final design was finished in 1898, and

420-515: Was destroyed in the aftermath of the Venetian occupation of Athens in 1688–1690, and then during the Greek War of Independence . In 2010, the monastery had 58 monks, 17 of whom lived there permanently. The monastery is built at an altitude of about 430 meters. From the outside, its high walls and heavy doors give it the appearance of a fortress. The main church of the monastery, or Katholikon,

441-816: Was founded by Greeks and was home to the patriarch during his visits to Moscow . In 1561 Ivan the Terrible decreed that the following seven monasteries should precede all the rest: After the establishment of the Patriarchate in Moscow , there were no stauropegic monasteries subordinated directly to the Patriarch for some time. But Nikon founded the New Jerusalem Monastery , Valday Iversky Monastery , and Kiy Island Monastery , which he governed himself, instead of placing each under an hegumen (abbot). The Greek custom, first introduced by Nikon,

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