Saint Parascheva Church ( ro, Biserica Sfânta Parascheva) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 6 Păcurari Street in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

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

Parascheva of the Balkans Saint Paraskeva of the Balkans (also known as: Света Петка Българска, Petka of Bulgaria, Petka of Serbia, Paraskeva of Serbia, Paraskeva the Serbian, Paraskeva of Belgrade, Parascheva the New, Parascheva the Young, grc, Ὁσ ...

. Located right by the

Central University Library Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, it stands on the site of an earlier wooden church from 1730, dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The site of the old altar table is marked by a cross to the right of the current altar, on the exterior. Archaeological evidence, including ruins, bones and coins, points to the presence of a still earlier church, from the reign of Vasile Lupu (1634-1653).History
at the Saint Parascheva parish site The present church was built between 1852 and 1858 through the efforts of the priest Constantin Pavelescu and the administrator Dumitru Burduja. Although historian N. A. Bogdan suggested Costache Conachi was the founder, this hypothesis was later rejected, as he died in 1849. Today, Pavelescu's is one of two graves in the churchyard. Part of the beggars' guild attended the parish, the remainder going to the Banu Church. The church used to be a filial of Saint Nicholas the Poor, which no longer exists. The church is made of brick on a stone foundation and covered in a tin roof. The nave is rectangular, the altar arched. The bell tower sits atop the foyer; it is prism-shaped, with a square base, and has four curtained windows. An arch separates the vestibule from the nave, and both have half-sphere ceilings. Another arch, above the iconostasis, separates the nave from the altar. The church is sometimes called ''Prepodobna'' (Slavonic for "most holy"), ''Sfânta Vineri'' or ''Vinerea Mare'' (another name for Parascheva). Renovations were carried out in 1932. After a bomb fell on the stairs in June 1944, during World War II, further repairs were done in 1945-1946. The church was painted between 1957 and 1962, with many interruptions. Andi Emanuel Mihalache
History
at the Iași County Cultural Office site The frescoes depict Biblical scenes and saints' faces. The domes were reinforced after the

1977 Vrancea earthquake The 1977 Vrancea earthquake occurred on 4 March 1977, at 21:22 local time, and was felt throughout the Balkans. It had a magnitude of 7.5, making it the second most powerful earthquake recorded in Romania in the 20th century, after the 10 Novemb ...

affected the building, and work was done on the spire in 1993. The icons in the iconostasis are original, from 1858, and are in the Renaissance style of

Eustație Altini Eustație Altini (Greek: Ευστάθιος Αλτίνης; c.1772, Zagora - 1815, Iași) was a Moldavian painter of Greek ancestry; specializing in decorative art and iconostases. He studied in Austria with famous painters Heinrich Friedrich F� ...

. The icon of Parascheva is decorated with silver, while the one of Saint Nicholas has a gilt metal frame. Valuable items in the church's collection include two Gospel Books printed at Neamț Monastery in 1821 and coated in silver; a silvered wooden cross with a pedestal kept on the altar table; two decorated silver communion boxes and an ornamented silver chalice. The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Județul Iași
/ref> File:Biserica Cuvioasa Parascheva din Iasi6.jpg, Entrance File:Biserica Cuvioasa Parascheva din Iasi7.jpg, Dedication File:Biserica Cuvioasa Parascheva din Iasi10.jpg, Old altar site File:Biserica Cuvioasa Parascheva din Iasi8.jpg, Pavelescu grave File:Biserica Cuvioasa Parascheva din Iasi12.jpg, Buzdugan family grave

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parascheva Historic monuments in Iași County Romanian Orthodox churches in Iași Churches completed in 1858