Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest
The Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest with the patronage of Saints Constantine and Helena ( Romanian. Catedrala Patriarhală Sf. Împărați Constantin și Elena ) is the cathedral of the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Romanian capital Bucharest .
history
The current cathedral was built as part of a monastery founded by Constantin Șerban Basarab , Prince of Wallachia , in 1656. It was consecrated in 1658 . A few years later, the monastery became the seat of the Metropolitan of Bucharest. In 1925, the Romanian Orthodox Church received the rank of Patriarchate and the Metropolitan Church was elevated to the status of Patriarchal Cathedral - initially with the intention of building a larger cathedral later. Instead, the existing cathedral was gradually restored in the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, expanded to the west and equipped with richer furnishings. In the 1960s, a return to the original state was sought based on the model of the Argeș Cathedral .
Since 2010, the much larger Cathedral of the Redemption of the People has been built at the Parliament Palace, which will replace the St. Constantine and Helena Church as the Patriarchal Cathedral after its completion.
Architecture and equipment
The cathedral is essentially a central building with a dome on the plan of a Greek cross . To the west it is supplemented by a porch with another main and several secondary domes and a narthex adorned with mosaics . The rich furnishings with architectural decorations, icons , frescoes and carvings date from all centuries of its history.
Web links
Coordinates: 44 ° 25 '28.5 " N , 26 ° 5' 52.2" E