An imposing sight whichever way you approach it. If you are coming from below, on ul. Saborna you will see an enormous flight of steps fanning out before you and leading up to the tall bell tower, designed in 1880 by Joseph Schnitter.

Inside, the church is characteristically dark, with frescoed ceilings, a carved wooden iconostasis featuring carvings of roses, leaves, grapes and other native plants and several icons with hands or haloes in gold.

The frescoes in the foyer are unusual for their portrayal of the educational and enlightenment role of the church, harking back to the mid-1900s when the church played a central role in spreading the fervour that led Bulgarian to rise up against the Ottoman Turks. This church saw the first Bulgarian-language service in the city (rather than Greek) on Christmas Day 1859.