Long, winding queues were seen throughout the day in front of Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia, as people patiently waited to see three icons, believed to be miracle-working.

At about 10 am the line numbered as many as 5,000, stretching all the way through the square in front of the cathedral and into the nearby Rakovski street.

This is the first time ever that the three miracle-working icons, all representing the Virgin Mary, were brought together from the Rila, Bachkovtsi and Troyan Monastery.

The initiative was undertaken as part of the "You are not alone" campaign in support of the five Bulgarian nurses who have been sentenced to death in Libya for deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.

An open mass was organized on Saturday evening with thousands of Bulgarians praying to the three icons for the Bulgarians' release.

Alexander Nevski Cathedral, where the three revered icons are displayed, will stay open and the priests promised to keep the icons for as long as there is a line of people willing to bow before them.

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