The Popa Nan Church () is a

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

church located at 47A Popa Nan Street in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

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

. It is dedicated to Saints

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 g ...

and

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. The first small, single-domed church on the site was built in 1719. A second one, of masonry, probably dated to 1764–1765, as attested by an older ''

pisanie A pisanie is an architectural element, that consists of an inscription carved in stone, wood, metal, painted, etc., on the top of tombs or above the main door at the entrance in a church, in which are recorded information about the church, the dono ...

''. It underwent repairs in 1802, 1845, 1860 and 1886. In ruins by 1909, it collapsed one night in July 1910. The current church was built from the foundations between 1910 and 1918, with

Cristofi Cerchez Cristofi Cerchez (4 July 1872 – 15 January 1955) was a Romanian engineer and architect. He built approximately 50 buildings in various cities of Romania over his nearly 50-year career. His architecture covers a wide range of styles from tradit ...

as architect. The interior frescoes date to 1918–1920. The 1977 earthquake caused serious damage, including the collapse of the nave dome. Repairs lasted until 1986. The interior was repainted from that point until 1988, and the newer artwork features the national tricolor as a motif. In October 1989,

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

Teoctist, joined by a large group of priests, rededicated the church.Stoica and Ionescu-Ghinea, p. 327 Fairly large at long by wide, the cross-shaped church has apses that are polygonal on the exterior. The substantial

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

has a vaulted ceiling. Two domes sit on square bases: the larger, with twelve sides, above the nave; and the octagonal bell tower on the narthex. The small open porch has three arches, the central one being much larger than those on the sides. The facades are painted in white, with a slightly profiled pediment. There is a series of long, narrow windows on the lower half of the building. The church is listed as a

historic monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Municipiul București

Notes

References

*Lucia Stoica and Neculai Ionescu-Ghinea, ''Enciclopedia lăcașurilor de cult din București'', vol. I. Bucharest: Editura Universalia, 2005,

External links

* {{coord, 44.464833, 26.155667, format=dms, type:landmark_region:RO, display=title Historic monuments in Bucharest Romanian Orthodox churches in Bucharest Churches completed in 1918