Saint Basil the Great Cathedral, located at 50 Polonă street, is the first Romanian Greek-Catholic church built 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 ...

. The church's patron is

Basil of Caesarea Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Ca ...

and its dedication celebration is on January 1. On August 30, 2014 there was a ceremony of inauguration of the first bishop of the

Eparchy of Saint Basil the Great of Bucharest The Romanian (Greek) Catholic Eparchy of (Saint Basil the Great of) Bucharest (Romanian ''Sfântul Vasile cel Mare de București'') is an eparchy of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite in Romanian language). It is a suffragan of Ro ...

inside the Cathedral.

History

A Greek-Catholic community is attested even before the year 1800, when this group was initially composed of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

n Romanians established in the Wallachian capital. Saint Basil exists as a legal entity since 1829 but it was not a place of worship being used as Roman Catholic Chapel at Călărași Street. In 1893, during the pastoral care of the future bishop

Demetriu Radu Demetriu Radu (26 October 1861 – 8 December 1920) was between 1897 and 1903 the Greek Catholic Bishop of Lugoj, and from 1903 to 1920 the Greek Catholic Bishop of Oradea Mare. Origins and studies Demetriu Radu was born of peasant parents ...

, then pastor of the church in Bucharest, was purchased land at 194 Polonă Street (currently number 50), for the construction of a church. The acquisition was made on behalf of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, as the authorities did not want the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek Catholic to own property in the

Romanian Old Kingdom The Romanian Old Kingdom ( ro, Vechiul Regat or just ''Regat''; german: Regat or ) is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia ...

. After they were late to get the authorization of the construction of the church, the authorities imposed conditions for the construction of the church, such that it would be built in the courtyard (to be less visible to passers-by). This is why the church was built at a distance of from the street. The financing of the construction of the church was made by the Greek Catholic faithful in Bucharest, the

Greek Catholic Archdiocese of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and the Catholic Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of Bucharest. A significant amount (100,000

Austro-Hungarian krone The crown (german: Krone, hu, korona, it, Corona, pl, korona, sl, krona, sh, kruna, cz, koruna, sk, koruna, ro, coroană) was the official currency of Austria-Hungary from 1892 (when it replaced the florin as part of the adoption of the ...

) was donated to the former parish priest, Demetriu Radu, who later became bishop of the

Greek Catholic diocese of Oradea Mare The Greek Catholic diocese of Oradea Mare is the Eparchy of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church for the area of Oradea. It was founded in 1777, followers of the Greek Rite having been up to that time under the jurisdiction of the Latin bishop. ...

. In 1909, in the feast of 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 given name ...

and Helena (21 May), Roman Catholic Archbishop

Raymund Netzhammer Raymund can be both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: * Raymund Fugger (1489–1535), German businessman, Reichsgraf and art collector * Raymund Hart (1899–1960), senior commander in the Royal Air Force d ...

sanctified the place

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

of the church, assisted by the pastor of the Romanian Church with Rome in Bucharest,

Ioan Bălan Ioan Bălan (11 February 1880 – 4 August 1959) was a Romanian bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church. Biography He was born in Teiuș, Alba County, the son of Ștefan Bălan and Ana, née Muntean. After graduating high school in Blaj, he studie ...

future bishop and prince

Vladimir Ghika Vladimir Ghika or Ghica (25 December 1873 – 16 May 1954) was a Romanian diplomat and essayist who, after his conversion from Romanian Orthodoxy to Catholicism, became a priest. He was a member of the princely Ghica family, which ruled Moldavia ...

. After only seven months, on Saint Nicholas feast (December 6), Archbishop Netzhammer, under whose jurisdiction were Greek Catholics in Bucharest, consecrated the church built by architect Nicolae Ghica-Budești. It was used as a model church of Saint George in

Baia Baia (german: Baja, Stadt Molde, or Moldenmarkt; hu, Moldvabánya; lat, Civitas Moldaviae) is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania with a population of 6,793 (2002 census).Stephen III of Moldova. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, with the establishment of the Deanery of Bucharest at Romanian Kingdom, Saint Basil Church came under the jurisdiction of the Greek Catholic Archdiocese of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia as residence of the archdeaconate. In 1940, the year of establishment of the Vicariate for Bucharest and the Old Kingdom, the church was elevated to cathedral. Here Bishop

Vasile Aftenie Vasile Aftenie (14 June 1899 – 10 May 1950) was a Romanian Auxiliary bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church, titular Bishop of Ulpiana, martyr of the faith and Servant of God of the Catholic Church. He was beaten until his death in the communis ...

worked until his arrest by the

Securitate The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regime ...

on 28 October 1948, when the church was occupied by an Orthodox parish. Aftenie was removed from the church, arrested, and beaten to death in Securitate cells in Bucharest. Also on the night of October 28 to 29, 1948 was removed from the parish house and arrested

Tit Liviu Chinezu Tit Liviu Chinezu (22 June 1904 – 15 January 1955) was a Romanian bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church. Born to a priest in Huduc village, Mureș County, he went to Rome in 1925, studying first at Sant'Atanasio college and becoming a Doctor o ...

, Dean of Bucharest. After these arrests other three priests united in Bucharest were appointed to take over the Vicariate, Natanail Munteanu, Gheorghe Radu, and Vasile Mare, whom remained illegal in Bucharest till the election of the historian and priest

Zenovie Pâclișanu Zenovie Pâclișanu (1 May 1886 – 1957 or 1958) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian historian, diplomat and cleric. A native of Transylvania, he completed a doctorate at Vienna, and during the 1910s was active in the cultural ...

, member of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...

, to take over the Vicarage. Pâclișanu was arrested in 1949 and died after nine years in

Jilava Jilava is a commune in Ilfov county, Muntenia, Romania, near Bucharest. It is composed of a single village, Jilava. The name derives from a Romanian word of Slavic origin ( Bulgarian жилав ''žilav'' (tough), which passed into Romanian as '' ...

prison. Immediately after the events of the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...

in December 1989, the Greek Catholic parish Saint Basil the Great in Bucharest reopened while asked its church restitution. Orthodox hierarchs initially promised return it, but they were encouraged by the state authorities do not recognize the right of believers joined the church of Saint Basil and changed their position and are no longer recognizable their promise although there are six Orthodox churches a short distance from the church of Saint Basil the Great. On June 2, 2005, in a meeting with the Prime Minister

Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu (; born 14 January 1952) is a Romanian politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from 29 December 2004 to 22 December 2008. He was also president of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the vice-pre ...

, Patriarch 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 denomination, Christian churches, and one of ...

Teoctist Arăpașu Teoctist (, born Toader Arăpașu, 7 February 1915 – 30 July 2007) was the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church from 1986 to 2007. Teoctist served his first years as patriarch under the Romanian Communist regime, and was accused by som ...

reaffirmed its intention to return the Church of Saint Basil to their rightful owner. But the promise was not put into practice immediately, so that the recovery continued in the courts and was won after 14 years of trials of the Greek Catholic parish. On 28 December 2006 Saint Basil the Great Church in Bucharest, back to the possession of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek Catholic but to an Orthodox priest was allowed to use the rectory until February 2007. On May 4, 2008, in a ceremony attended by over 2,000 people, in the church was installed a new Greek Catholic bishop, now vicar of Bucharest, Mihai Frățilă, and the building was elevated to cathedral. On 30 August 2014, was made a ceremony of inauguration of the first bishop of the Diocese of Saint Basil the Great of Bucharest, Mihai Frățilă. Holy and Divine Liturgy at the Saint Basil the Great Cathedral was presided by His Beatitude Cardinal

Lucian Mureșan Lucian Mureșan (born 23 May 1931) is the first and current Major Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Archdiocese of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. As Major Archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia (resident in Blaj ...

, Major Archbishop of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek Catholic, in the presence of Cardinal

Leonardo Sandri Leonardo Sandri (born 18 November 1943) is an Argentine prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since November 2007 and vice dean of the College of Cardinals since January 2020. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Chu ...

, prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches in Rome.

Personalities

The church of Saint Basil served over four times the Greek Catholic bishops. Its first bishop was

, killed in a bomb attack staged by Communists in the

Senate of Romania ) is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 136 seats (before the 2016 Romanian legislative election the total number of elected representatives was 176), to which members are elected by direct popular vote using party-l ...

(on December 8, 1920),

, and

, all of them suppressed in communist prisons. Monsignor

served here in 1943. Among the literary figures belonging to this parish was

George Coșbuc George Coșbuc (; 20 September 1866 – 9 May 1918) was a Romanian poet, translator, teacher, and journalist, best remembered for his verses describing, praising and eulogizing rural life, its many travails but also its occasions for joy. In 19 ...

. The church was frequented during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

by Greek Catholic politicians who served in the Romanian capital, such as

Iuliu Maniu Iuliu Maniu (; 8 January 1873 – 5 February 1953) was an Austro-Hungarian-born lawyer and Romanian politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the Un ...

, his secretary

Corneliu Coposu Corneliu (Cornel) Coposu () (20 May 1914 – 11 November 1995) was a Christian Democratic and liberal conservative Romanian politician, the founder of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party ( ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc Cre� ...

Alexandru Vaida-Voevod Alexandru Vaida-Voevod or Vaida-Voievod (27 February 1872 – 19 March 1950) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician who was a supporter and promoter of the Union of Transylvania with Romania, union of Transylvania (before 1920 part of ...

, and others.

References

Bibliography

* * Horia Cosmovici, Monseniorul Vladimir Ghika, 25 decembrie 1873 – 17 mai 1954, capitolul Biserica din strada Polonă

External links

* * * {{Coord, 44.4496, N, 26.1038, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:RO, display=title Churches in Bucharest Greek-Catholic cathedrals in Romania 1909 establishments in Romania