Sights · Our pick
Church of St Sophia
11th-century frescoes
Ohrid’s medieval cathedral, painted with frescoes from the 11th century.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © User:Vmenkov · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Делфина · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons1 / 3
About Church of St Sophia
In the 11th century St Sophia was the “Great Church” of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, whose authority reached from the Danube to the Adriatic, and it probably served as a cathedral in the time of Tsar Samuel. Its frescoes, painted around 1040–45, are counted among the best-preserved programmes of any 11th-century Byzantine cathedral; above the entrance to the nave, Christ as Holy Wisdom appears between two archangels. Later, the 14th-century painter Jovan Teorijan left his name in the upper narthex. With its fine acoustics, the church hosts concerts during the Ohrid Summer Festival.
Our take
- Former cathedral
- 11th-century frescoes
- Festival concerts
- Address
- Ohrid, the Balkans
- Our city guide
- On our Skopje guide
- Price guide
- € (sights price guide)
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Church of St Sophia before you go.
Last checked: October 2026 How we choose
Location
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