Tradition tells that once Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent was running with his troops outside Sofia. At night the Sultan dreamed that the march would be successful. He ordered a sign to be placed if the dream came true. The dream was fulfilled. The Turks defeated the Hungarians in the Battle of Moach in 1526 and captured Budapest. Two years later, the construction of a new mosque began at the site of the Sultan’s vision. It was the main mosque in Sofia.
The construction was carried out by the famous Sultan architect Mimar Sinan. The mosque was distinguished by its huge dome laid directly on the walls. And with his black minaret of black Vitosha granite. It fell during an earthquake in the 18th century but left a name for the mosque.
The Black Mosque. It was also called after the Liberation of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian statesmen did not push her, but they rebuilt it in an Orthodox temple. The main plan for the reconstruction was drafted by the Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev. Bulgarian architects Petko Momchilov and Yordan Milanov finished the project.
Reconstruction was carried out around the central of the mosque. The dome was preserved. An annex for the narthex and the bell tower was made. The south-eastern wall of the mosque was pierced to construct the altar apse of the church. Two side doors with beautiful colonnades were also open. In 1903 the construction was completed. The citizens have acquired a beloved church.
