Few buildings say as much about a nation's idea of itself as the cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Raised in the Bulgarian capital as a monument of gratitude to the Russian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Finnish soldiers who died in the war of 1877 and 1878, at the end of which Bulgaria emerged from Ottoman rule, it was conceived from the outset as a national memorial as much as a place of worship. The architecture is neo-Byzantine on a monumental scale: a mass of domes and half-domes rising to a central cupola covered in gold leaf, flanked by a bell tower, with marble, onyx and alabaster used inside and mosaic and painted decoration covering the vaults. The interior can hold a very large congregation and is designed for the ceremonies of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at their most solemn. In the crypt is a museum of icons, one of the most important collections of Orthodox painting in south-eastern Europe, gathering works from across the country. Filmed in 4K, with aerial views of the domes and careful low-light work inside, the programme suits strands on sacred sites, national history and religious art.
