点评:From the outside, Saint Sophia Church is not very impressive. However, it is significant in that the ancient Roman city of Serdica was situated where Sofia is today and was renamed in 1329 as Sofia after the church. A preserved Roman necropolis (an ancient cemetery) and layers of ruins lie beneath the church today. There is no charge to enter Saint Sophia Church, but a fee is charged to tour the ruins which are quite interesting. Aside from important historical significance and archeological preservation, the interior would be considered relatively spartan. An interesting side note surrounds the bell which hangs in a tree outside the church. Because most church's had bell towers and Saint Sophia Church was built without one, the placement of the bell in the tree was a symbolic replacement. The bell actually played a role in Sofia's civic history.
翻译:从外观上看,圣索菲亚教堂并不十分引人注目。不过它具有重要意义:古罗马城市塞尔迪卡就位于如今索菲亚的所在地,1329年该城便以这座教堂的名字被更名为“索菲亚”。如今,教堂下方还保存着罗马时期的墓地以及层层叠叠的遗迹。参观圣索菲亚教堂无需付费,但若要游览那些相当有趣的遗迹则需支付费用。除了重要的历史意义与考古价值外,教堂的内部装饰可谓相当简朴。有个有趣的细节值得留意:有一口钟被挂在教堂外的树上。由于大多数教堂都建有钟楼,而圣索菲亚教堂却没有,因此将钟挂在树上便算是一种象征性的替代措施。实际上,这口钟在索菲亚的城市历史中也扮演过重要角色。