, image = Catedrala „Sf. Gheorghe” și „Întâmpinarea Domnului” (2).jpg , imagesize = 300px , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , latd = , latm = , lats = , latNS = , longd = , longm = , longs = , longEW = , iso region = , coordinates = , location = Iași , country =

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

, denomination =

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...

, previous denomination = , website = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = , dedication date = , consecrated date = 1887 , status = , functional status = Active , architect = Gustav Freywald, Bucher, Mihail Singurov, Alexandru Orăscu , style = Neoclassical , years built = , groundbreaking = 1833 , completed date = 1839/1886 , length = , width = , height = , other dimensions = , tower quantity = 4 , tower height = , materials = Brick, concrete , bells = , bells hung = , bell weight = , metropolis = Moldavia and Bukovina , organistdom = , director = , organist = The Metropolitan Cathedral, Iași ( ro, Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași), located at 16 Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Boulevard, Iași,

, is the seat of the

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...

Archbishop of Iași and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, and the largest historic Orthodox church in Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Parascheva, to the

Presentation of Jesus The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (or ''in the temple'') is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem, that is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, o ...

and to

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

. Its form was inspired by the late

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

style (

Trinità dei Monti The church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti, often called merely the Trinità dei Monti ( French: ''La Trinité-des-Monts''), is a Roman Catholic late Renaissance titular church in Rome, central Italy. It is best known for its position above ...

in particular), with Baroque elements dominating the interior and exterior decorative features. The Metropolitan Cathedral is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments.

History

Two churches previously stood on the site: the White Church (15th century) and the Presentation Church (17th century). On 8 August 1826, prince

Ioan Sturdza Ioan Sandu Sturdza or Ioniță Sandu Sturdza (1762 – 2 February 1842) was a ruler (hospodar) (List of Moldavian rulers) of Moldavia from 21 June 1822 to 5 May 1828. Biography Sturdza is considered the first indigenous ruler with the end of Ph ...

signed a decree ordering construction of the cathedral; Metropolitan

Veniamin Costache Veniamin is the Russian version of the name Benjamin, and may refer to: *Veniamin Alexandrov (1937–1991), Soviet professional ice hockey player *Veniamin Belkin (1884–1951), Russian artist and painter *Veniamin Fleishman, (1913–1941), Russia ...

laid the cornerstone on 3 July 1833 and guided construction in its early years. Work began in 1833, using a neo-classical design by

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

architects Gustav Freywald and Bucher, and continued at a rapid pace until 1841, in the latter years under the Russian architect Mihail Singurov. In 1839, after it was completely built and covered, serious cracks had appeared on the large central arch. Various solutions were attempted (in 1840 Singurov replaced the brick ceiling with wood, for example), but on 23 May 1857, the ceiling collapsed taking the interior columns with it, and the building remained ruined for decades."Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași", Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina At the urging of Metropolitan Iosif Naniescu (1875-1902), the newly independent Romanian state decided to start the restoration work of the cathedral. A new cornerstone was laid on 15 April 1880. Architect Alexandru Orăscu, rector of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...

, designed new plans that added two rows of massive pilasters to the interior, creating a rectangular basilica shape, with a central nave and two smaller side naves. The four detached side spires were kept, but the large central dome was eliminated and replaced with a system of four semicircular sections, separated by transverse arches. The cathedral was consecrated on 23 April 1887, in the presence of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth, who had donated large sums for the project. In 1889, the relics of Saint Parascheva, patron saint of Moldavia, were brought from Trei Ierarhi Monastery and continue to attract crowds of pilgrims, particularly on her feast day (October 14). These are located on the right side of the vestibule, as are those of Veniamin Costache.

Architecture

Standing in the centre of the Metropolitan Complex, the Great Cathedral is a monumental building of a rectangular plan with four detached towers at its corners that originally flanked an immense dome. The cathedral is long and wide, and with a height of the towers of , it is one of the tallest historical buildings in Moldavia. The exterior of the cathedral, as well as the interior, is decorated in the Baroque style. The eastern façade has a central motif formed of six Corinthian columns erected on a stone socle, which support the architrave, above which is a high bas-relief of the Presentation of the Lord. The western façade has eight columns separated by the entrance, above which there is a recessed balcony whose vault has a curved mosaic also showing the Presentation; above that is a stone carving of Saint George. The roof is decorated with zinc fleurons and stylized crosses adorn both the roof and the four spires."Obiectiv turistic"

Gheorghe Tattarescu Gheorghe Tattarescu (; October 1818 – October 24, 1894) was a Moldavian, later Romanian Painting, painter and a pioneer of neoclassicism in his country's modern painting. Biography Early life and studies Tattarescu was born in Focşani i ...

painted the

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

s and decorative elements in a style that respected Orthodox norms but also showed a Renaissance influence. The four Biblical scenes above the central nave, the saints' faces and the decorative compositions all show an Italian neo-classical rigor, to which the artist had been exposed during his studies at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fi ...

. This creates harmony between the painting and the architectural style. The stained glass was worked in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

and redone after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, under Metropolitan

Justinian Marina Justinian Marina (; born Ioan Marina ) (February 2, 1901, in Suiești, Vâlcea County – March 26, 1977, in Bucharest) was a Romanian Orthodox prelate. He was the third patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, serving between 1948 and 1977. ...

. Two valuable icons painted in the 16th century are kept inside; they depict

Christ Pantocrator In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator ( grc-gre, Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ) is a specific depiction of Christ. ''Pantocrator'' or ''Pantokrator'', literally ''ruler of all'', but usually translated as "Almighty" or "all-po ...

and the

Madonna and Child In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent i ...

."Obiectiv turistic"

Metropolitan Complex

In the environs of the monumental church there are St George's Church (the Old Metropolitan Cathedral) built in 1761–1769, the Metropolitan Palace (18th century), the Metropolitan Chancellery, the Dumitru Stăniloae Metropolitan Library, the St. George monastic home, the Epivata house, and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology (founded in 1860 as a co-founder faculty of the

University of Iași The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University ( Romanian: ''Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza"''; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in Iași, Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former Academia M ...

Museum

In May 2016, the Metropolitan Museum dedicated to the history of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina was inaugurated in the basement of the Great Cathedral.Ansamblul Mitropolitan din Iaşi s-a deschis pentru public
/ref>

Gallery

File:Catedrala Mitropolitana02.JPG, Western façade File:Catedrala Mitropolitana04.JPG, Detail of mosaic showing the Presentation of Jesus File:Mitopolia interior.jpg, Interior File:Jassy. Edmund Spencer. Turkey, Russia, the Black Sea, and Circassia.P.137.jpg, The cathedral before 1855 File:Palatul Mitropolitan din Iasi16.jpg, The Metropolitan Palace File:Catedrala veche din Iasi42.jpg, The Old Metropolitan Cathedral

References

External links

Iași Metropolitan Cathedral website

Iași Metropolitan Complex

Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iaşi
Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina
Obiectiv turistic: Catedrala Mitropolitană

Mitropolia Moldovei şi Bucovinei
Iași City Hall

crestinortodox.ro

* ttps://doxologia.ro/viata-bisericii/documentar/cupola-centrala-catedralei-mitropolitane-din-iasi-o-enigma-istoriei Cupola centrală a Catedralei Mitropolitane din Iaşi, o enigmă a istoriei? {{DEFAULTSORT:Metropolitan Cathedral, Iasi Romanian Orthodox cathedrals in Romania Romanian Orthodox churches in Iași Churches and monasteries in Western Moldavia Churches completed in 1886 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Historic monuments in Iași County