The church St. Petka Samardzhiyska is situated in the centre of Sofia – in the underpass between Sheraton Hotel and Central Department Store, near the entrance of Serdika metro station.
     The temple is dedicated to the Martyr Petka Ikoniyska. It was built on the remains of a Roman cult building and dates back to the 11th century. The wall paintings, which can nowadays be seen in the interior, were painted in the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century.
     During the Ottoman rule, the temple St. Petka Samardzhiyska used to be maintained by the guild of the packsaddle makers in Sofia. This is where its name comes from (samar, which is a packsaddle in English).
     There is a hypothesis, that the revolutionary Vasil Levski was re-buried in the temple. This hypothesis has not yet been confirmed, but to the present day many people believe that the remains of the great Bulgarian are laid there.