The Old St. George Church ( ro, Biserica Sfântul Gheorghe Vechi) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 36 Calea Moșilor 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 of ...

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 dedicated 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 soldier ...

. A monastery was established on the site in 1492, as mentioned in the 1848 ''

pisanie A pisanie is an architectural elements, 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 don ...

''. The nearby foundation of a 16th-century church was excavated in 1954. Tradition holds that the monastery was the seat of the

Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia The Metropolis of Wallachia and Dobruja, headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, is a metropolis of the Romanian Orthodox Church. History The Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia was created, in 1359, by Callistus I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constanti ...

between 1545 and 1575. The complex was destroyed by Ottoman forces in November 1595, following the

Battle of Călugăreni The Battle of Călugăreni was a battle in the history of early modern Romania. It took place on between the Wallachian army led by Michael the Brave and the Ottoman army led by Koca Sinan Pasha. It was part of the Long Turkish War, fough ...

. A 1621 document mentions the imposing bell tower that likely survived until the Great Fire of 1847. Documents of the 1660s and ‘70s mention the church, which burned in 1718 but was rebuilt in 1724. Seriously damaged by the

1802 Events January–March * January 5 – Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, begins removal of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, claiming they were at risk of destruction during the Ot ...

and 1838 earthquakes, it was finally destroyed by the 1847

Great Fire of Bucharest The Great Fire of Bucharest ( ro, Marele incendiu din București or simply ) was the largest conflagration ever to occur in Bucharest, Romania, then the capital of Wallachia. It started on 23 March 1847 and destroyed 1850 buildings, a third of ...

. Quickly rebuilt by parishioners, it reopened in 1849. The frail structure was demolished in 1875.Stoica and Ionescu-Ghinea, pp. 272-75 The parish council supervised the rebuilding of the church, which was completed in 1881 and consecrated the same year by Calinic Miclescu. Gheorghe Pompilian, inspired by Gheorghe Tattarescu, executed the painting. The

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...

, carved in sycamore, is in the Ukrainian Baroque style, as is the church itself. Parts of the interior are linden, while the massive entrance door is oak. Renovations were carried out following the 1940 earthquake, in 1964 and in the 1980s and ‘90s. The cross-shaped church is 32 x 16.9 meters, with the Christ Pantocrator dome reaching 24 meters high. The

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

, typical of the 19th century, is especially large. There is an original crypt under the altar. The structure has walls of 90-100 centimeters thick, on a foundation of cement and brick. The windows are of stained glass. The exterior is simple, the decor consisting of pilasters with neo- Corinthian capitals. A

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

pediment sits above the portico. The domes are characteristically Ukrainian Baroque, but adapted for Romanian preferences. The church is listed as a historic monument 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, {{DEFAULTSORT:George Historic monuments in Bucharest Romanian Orthodox churches in Bucharest Churches completed in 1881 Baroque Revival architecture in Romania