September 17 – The Day of Sofia

On the feast of St. Sofia and her three daughters Faith, Hope and Love the Christian virtues wisdom, faith, hope and love are celebrated. The Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great built the St. Sofia church – one of the symbols of the city of Sofia, in Byzantine style in the middle of the 6th century (527 - 565). In the times of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12th – 14th centuries) the church received the status of a bishop church and gave its name to the town – Sofia, which means wisdom. Since 1992 September 17 has been celebrated as the Day of the capital Sofia. Sofia is a town with a century-long history. The Thracians called it Serdica. Under Roman rule it developed as a center of war strategy, and in the time of the First Bulgarian Kingdom it was called Sredetz. Later on, under Byzantine rule it was named Triaditza. Sofia got its current name in the 14th century and was named after the old St. Sofia church. On April 3, 1879 the town was chosen capital after the proposal of Prof. Marin Drinov, due to its geographic position and growth potential. The town infrastructure development became of national importance. The artist Haralampi Tachev created Sofia’s arms in 1900. They represent a shield, divided into four fields where the symbols of the city are placed – the St. Sofia church, Vitosha Mountain, a temple of Apollo the Healer, symbolizing the mineral spas, and the goddess-patron Tuche.
September 17 is also the official holiday of the town of Lom.