Statue of Sveta Sofia

Coordinates: 42°41′52.0434″N 23°19′17.2884″E / 42.697789833°N 23.321469000°E

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Statue of Sofia Статуя на София

Location	St Nedelya Square Sofia, Bulgaria
Coordinates	42°41′52.0434″N 23°19′17.2884″E / 42.697789833°N 23.321469000°E / 42.697789833; 23.321469000
Height	Statue itself: 8.08 meters (26 feet 6 inches)^[1] Dark granite pylon: 16 meters (52 feet 5.9 inches) Ground to crown: 24 meters (79 feet)^[2]
Erected	2000
Sculptor	Georgi Chapkanov
Governing body	Sofia Municipality

The Statue of Sofia (Bulgarian: Статуя на София, romanized: Statuya na Sofiya) is a monumental sculpture in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was officially opened to the public by the capital's mayor Stefan Sofiyanski on December 28, 2000.^[3]

The Statue of Sofia was approved by the Sofia City Council on September 17, 2000, known as the Day of Sofia in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church honours the martyr Sophia of Rome on this date.^[4] The statue was intended as a symbol for better times in the new millennium, and was erected in two days from December 25–27, 2000 in a spot once occupied by a statue of Lenin.^[5]^[6]^[7]

The Statue of Sofia is named after the capital of Bulgaria, which in turn is named after the Saint Sophia Church. Likewise, the statue was planned to be named Saint Sophia, although the Orthodox Church considered it too pagan to be associated with Sophia of Rome. The Statue of Sofia is by the sculptor Georgi Chapkanov, who argued that it is a symbol for all residents of the capital, regardless of religion. In other words, the project was controversial connoting the pagan Sophia (wisdom) of the Hellenistic period.^[3] 8.08 meters (26 feet 6 inches) in height with a weight of about 5 tons, the copper and bronze statue stands on a 16 meters (52 feet 5.9 inches) high pedestal.^[5] Adorned with the symbols of power (crown), fame (wreath) and wisdom (owl), the crown is also associated with the Goddess of Fate, Tyche, inspired by the old emblem of Sofia dating back to 1900.^[8]

References

^ "Sveta Sofia Statue". Tweekends.
^ "Saint Sofia Statue". Bulgaria Info Guide.
^ ^a ^b "Охраняват денонощно "София" от крадци на цветни метали" [They guard "Sofia" 24/7 from non-ferrous metal thieves]. Vesti.bg.
^ "September 17 is the Day of Bulgaria's capital Sofia". Bulgarian National Television.
^ ^a ^b "Вече 20 години "Света София" на Чапкънов бди над столицата" [Chapkenov's "Saint Sophia" has been watching over the capital for 20 years now]. Столица.bg.
^ "Георги Чапкънов: София се яви като чудо в главата ми" [Georgi Chapkenov: Sofia appeared like a miracle in my head]. СЕГА АД.
^ Jonathan Bousfield, Matthew Willis (Jun 1, 2011). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Bulgaria: Bulgaria. Penguin. p. 64. ISBN 9780756684822. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
^ "Sophia | Sightseeing in Sofia | Sofia". In Your Pocket.

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