The Rotunda of St George is an ancient architectural monument and at the same time a functioning church located in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. It was built in the early 4th century, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great and the heyday of ancient Sofia (then called Serdik). The Rotunda of St George is the oldest Sophia building still intact today. It is a cylindrical domed building with a height of about 14 metres and a diameter of more than 9 metres. The altar room is in the form of a square, on the sides of which there are four symmetrically arranged niches.
Initially, the building had no religious purpose, but after the recognition of Christianity by Rome was turned first into a baptistery, and later, during the reign of Justinian the Great - into a house of prayer. At the same time the temple was named in honour of St. George the Great Martyr. During the Ottoman rule, in the first half of the 16th century, the frescoes were covered with white paint, and the church itself became a mosque with the name of Gul-Jamasi. Already after the liberation of Bulgaria (1893), the church was for some time the mausoleum of Prince Alexander Battenberg.
In 1913, restoration works were carried out in the church. Now the rotunda of St George is a functioning church, where daily services are held in Church Slavonic.
