Despite the building's size, the services are normally only attended by some 50 to 60 worshippers due to the aliyah of most of Bulgaria's Jews to Israel and the secularity of the local Jewish population.

[citation needed] Constructed for the needs of Sofia's mainly Sephardic Jewish community after a project by the Austrian architect Friedrich Grünanger, the synagogue building resembles the old Moorish Leopoldstädter Tempel in Vienna.

The construction of a grand new synagogue was part of the reorganization efforts of the Bulgarian Jewish community under Lemberg-born Chief Rabbi Marcus Ehrenpreis and local leaders Ezra Tadjer and Avram Davidjon Levy.

One of the architectural monuments of Sofia, the synagogue, located in the very centre of the city near the Central Market Hall, can accommodate approximately 1,300 worshippers.

The Sofia Synagogue's main chandelier weighs 1.7 tonnes (1.9 short tons) and is the largest in the country.