The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral (also known as the Metropolitan Church) is a functioning religious and civic landmark, on

Dealul Mitropoliei Dealul Mitropoliei (, ''Metropolitanate Hill''), also called Dealul Patriarhiei (, ''Patriarchate Hill''), is a small hill in Bucharest, Romania and an important historic, cultural, architectural, religious and touristic point in the national capit ...

, in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...

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

. It is located near the Palace of the Chamber of Deputies of the Patriarchate of the

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 ...

. Since it is a working cathedral, it is the site of many religious holidays and observances that take place for those who follow the Orthodox Christian faith in Bucharest, including a

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Hol ...

pilgrimage. The Orthodox Divine Liturgy at the cathedral is known for its a cappella choir, a common practice shared by all the Orthodox churches, in both their prayer services and liturgical rites. The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral is a designated Historical monument—''Monument istoric'' of Romania.

History

The structure was begun in 1655 and completed in 1659 under the orders of the prince

Constantin Șerban Constantin II Șerban (? – 1682) was Prince of Wallachia between 1654 and 1658, illegitimate son to Radu Şerban. According to custom, being born out of wedlock did not disqualify Constantin from becoming prince. Reign His rule saw the rebe ...

. The

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

is in the Brâncovenesc style. All of the original frescoes and sculptures were destroyed, except for the icon of

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

and Helen, who are the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

s of the cathedral. The present-day frescoes were added in 1923 by Dimitrie Belizarie. In 1862, the Romanian prime minister, Barbu Catargiu, was assassinated as his open carriage passed in front of the cathedral.

Gallery

File:Bukarest 4314.jpg, One of the huge chandeliers File:Bukarest - Patriarchal-Komplex - Glockenturm (1698, erneuert 1958).jpg, The bell tower File:Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral - external mosaics.jpg, External mosaics File:Frescos of Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral. Bucharest, Roamnia, Southeastern Europe-2.jpg, Frescoes on the interior wall File:Flickr - fusion-of-horizons - Catedrala Patriarhală (1).jpg

References

External links

Patriarchal Cathedral Patriarchal Cathedral, Romanian

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

Religious buildings and structures completed in 1658 1650s establishments in Romania 1658 establishments in Europe Historic monuments in Bucharest Brâncovenesc style architecture {{Romania-EO-church-stub

History

See also

Gallery

References

External links