When you’re leaving the metro system of София at the main transportation hub Serdica, you’ll see a large statue of a woman with a golden face high above the square. It’s the Holy Sophia with a laurel wreath in one hand and an owl as the symbol of wisdom on the other arm. This statue was placed there just in the year 2000; before that, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (better known as Lenin) was standing there and looking at the headquarter of the Communist party.
Who is this Sophia? In Roman times the city of София (Sofia) was called Serdica and was the center of the region of Thrace. Later the city was renamed after a church called Holy Sophia and therefore the current city name is Sofia. But this Holy Sophia church was not named after a saint called Sophia. Like the Hagia Sophia of Istanbul this church was named after the holy wisdom of god. The depiction of Sophia as a woman is therefore a bit misleading, but at least she carries the bird of wisdom.
Статуя „Света София Премъдрост Божия“
Holy Sophia
1000 София център
София
Bulgaria
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