The cathedral honors the Russian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 and 1878, which led to Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman rule. Alexander Pomerantsev, aided by Alexander Smirnov and Alexander Yakovlev, radically altered an earlier project by Ivan Bogomolov. The foundation stone was laid on March 3, 1882, most construction took place from 1904 to 1912, and it was consecrated on September 12, 1924.
The style is Neo-Byzantine, a cross-domed basilica. It is 241 feet (73.5 m) long and 171 feet (52.2 m) wide. The gold-plated dome is 148 feet (45 m) high, and the bell tower is 174 feet (53 m). The cathedral holds 5,000 worshippers.
The interior uses Italian marble, Brazilian onyx and alabaster, and mosaics were shipped from Venice. Twelve bells weigh 23 tons together. The crypt holds a museum of Bulgarian icons.
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