St. Louis Cathedral

St. Louis Cathedral is considered one of the most important Roman Catholic churches in Bulgaria. It was built in the second half of the XIX century, and got its name in honor of the French King St. Louis IX, the leader of the 7th and 8th Crusades.

The facade of the building is decorated with numerous columns, statues and stucco. The interior of the cathedral, on the contrary, is made in a more restrained style and almost devoid of jewelry. The ceiling of the bell tower is painted by the famous French artist William Bouguereau.

The cathedral is also famous for the fact that the Bulgarian Princess Maria Louise of Bourbon-Parma, the first wife of Prince Ferdinand I of Coburg, was buried here. The princess helped the city a lot and was secretly considered the patroness of Plovdiv. Locals still come to the temple to worship her ashes and ask for help.