shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileBulgaria

at the centre of Sofia, on the square that carries its name

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Name: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — gold domes that hold the whole city's weather.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“One of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, built between 1882 and 1912 to honour the soldiers — Russian, Bulgarian, Finnish and Romanian — who fell in the war that freed Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. Neo-Byzantine, designed by Alexander Pomerantsev. Italian marble, Brazilian onyx, Bavarian stained glass. The central dome is gold-plated and visible from most of Sofia's higher streets. The crypt below holds the country's main collection of medieval Orthodox icons.

from the studio

— bring it home

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky stands on Sveti Aleksandar Nevski Square in central Sofia, at the eastern edge of the city's historic core. Built between 1882 and 1912, it was commissioned by the Bulgarian National Assembly to honour the roughly 200,000 Russian, Bulgarian, Finnish and Romanian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, the conflict that ended five centuries of Ottoman rule over Bulgaria. The cathedral is dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, the 13th-century Russian prince and saint who was patron of Tsar Alexander II. It is the cathedral church of the Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarchate and seats roughly 5,000 worshippers.

— informed by Wikipedia · Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarchate

— the stone

The chief architect was the Russian Alexander Pomerantsev, in a neo-Byzantine cross-domed plan with a central gold-plated dome rising about 45 metres and a bell tower reaching roughly 53 metres. Materials were sourced across Europe: Italian Carrara and Vratsa marble for the interior facing, Brazilian onyx and Indian alabaster in the throne areas, Bavarian stained glass in the windows, and a 12-bell carillon cast in Moscow with a total weight near 23 tons. Interior frescoes were painted by a team of more than thirty Russian, Bulgarian and Czech artists, including Viktor Vasnetsov. The exterior cladding is white limestone over a brick core.

— informed by Wikipedia · Alexander Pomerantsev

— the visit

The cathedral is open daily, typically 07:00 to 18:00, and admission to the main nave is free. The crypt, accessed from the south side and operated by the National Gallery, houses Bulgaria's principal collection of Orthodox icons — more than 300 works from the 9th through 19th centuries — with a separate ticket of about 10 leva (around five euros). Photography inside the nave requires a small fee. Sunday liturgy is the most rewarding visit for the choir and the censers; quieter weekday mornings give the best light through the apse windows. Modest dress is expected, as in any working Orthodox cathedral.

— informed by National Gallery · Crypt

— where

Bulgaria · Sofia City Province

— elevation

550 m · 1,804 ft

— position

42.6957° N · 23.3328° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

0.1 km W

Sveti Sofia Church

6th-century basilica

0.2 km S

National Assembly

government building

0.5 km SE

Sofia University

university

1 km SW

Vitosha Boulevard

pedestrian street

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Sveti Sofia Church

National Assembly

Sofia University

Vitosha Boulevard

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Alexander Nevsky Cathedral — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

To honour the roughly 200,000 Russian, Bulgarian, Finnish and Romanian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, the conflict that ended five centuries of Ottoman rule over Bulgaria.

The Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev, working in a neo-Byzantine cross-domed plan. Construction ran from 1882 to 1912, with frescoes by a team including Viktor Vasnetsov.

It seats roughly 5,000 worshippers, with a central gold-plated dome about 45 metres tall and a bell tower reaching roughly 53 metres. It is among the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world.

A 13th-century Russian prince and Orthodox saint who defeated Swedish and Teutonic invaders. He was the patron saint of Tsar Alexander II, whose army liberated Bulgaria in 1878.

Bulgaria's principal collection of Orthodox icons — more than 300 works from the 9th through 19th centuries — operated by the National Gallery. Admission is roughly 10 leva.

Yes. Open daily, typically 07:00 to 18:00, with free admission to the main nave. Modest dress is expected. Photography inside the nave requires a small fee.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The cathedral is the visual anchor of central Sofia; a Small or Medium with a handwritten card from the studio carries the place well for Bulgarians living abroad.

The gold-dome-and-limestone palette settles into Jewel-tone Maximalist, Old-World European and warm-Traditional rooms. It also holds against deep aubergine, ochre or forest-green walls.

Old-World Maximalism has been moving toward Orthodox-Byzantine references — gilt, deep red, onyx — over generic Italianate. This piece sits inside that shift.

A single Large reads well above a console; over a standard sofa we usually recommend a 4-tile Mural, and a 9-tile Mural for a full feature wall.

Yes. Order it in Dura Satin or Matte for splash-prone walls; both are scratch-resistant and humidity-tolerant. Glossy is best kept dry.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface, so normal cleaning will not lift it. Avoid abrasive pads or solvents.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, painted in our stained-glass visual language. Nothing is licensed in.

— if this one stayed with you