The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has 13 dioceses on the territory of Bulgaria. Each diocese has a diocesan center (city or town) in which the cathedral (the church building that houses the seat of the metropolitan) of the respective diocese is located. In addition, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has a Patriarchal Cathedral - the church building that houses the seat of the Patriarch (the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church). The Patriarchal Cathedral plays the role of a national cathedral. Thus, the total number of cathedrals of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on the territory of Bulgaria is 14 (13 metropolitan cathedrals - one for each diocese, plus the patriarchal cathedral).
The previous church building on the site was destroyed after the communist terrorist act of 1925 - the biggest terrorist act in Europe at the time and the biggest in the history of Bulgaria.