The Dămăroaia 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 1 Victor Daimaca Street in the

Dămăroaia Dămăroaia is a district in the north side of Bucharest, 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 t ...

quarter of

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

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

and to Saint Myron of Cyzicus.

History

The church was built in 1946 on the site of a former chapel from 1931. Preparations for construction lasted some time, involving fundraising and commitment from parishioners and the priest, who in 1938 selected a site in the embryonic neighborhood, planting decorative and fruit trees. The effort was supported by ''

Conducător ''Conducător'' (, meaning 'Leader') was the title used officially by Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu during World War II, also occasionally used in official discourse to refer to Carol II and Nicolae Ceaușescu. History The word is derived from ...

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...

and his wife

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

,Stoica and Ionescu-Ghinea, pp. 128-29 who contributed 1 million lei, one-sixth of the total cost.Stroe and Mihai, p. 152 It is one of few Romanian churches built during the transition toward the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

.Stroe and Mihai, p. 156 By 1946, under the difficult conditions of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and its aftermath, funds and materials had been collected. The cornerstone was laid in August, following the plans of Dimitrie Ionescu-Berechet, and the new church was blessed on

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

day. The portico was built the following year. The interior frescoes, painted with the support of

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 ...

Justinian Marina Justinian Marina (; born Ioan Marina ; February 2, 1901 – March 26, 1977) was a Romanian Orthodox prelate. He was the third patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, serving between 1948 and 1977. Parish priest in the Râmnic Diocese I ...

, date to 1953–1954. The painted masonry

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () 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 that can be placed anywhere withi ...

dates to 1958–1960. The church was again dedicated in 1963.

Description

The church has elements of

Byzantine Revival architecture Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Or ...

(the shape, the dome motifs, the spacious portico) but also of

Romanian Revival architecture Romanian Revival architecture ( Romanian National Style, Neo-Romanian, or Neo-Brâncovenesc art, Brâncovenesc; ) is an architectural style that has appeared in the late 19th century in Romanian Art Nouveau, initially being the result of the att ...

(the position of the bell tower, the profiled pediments, the emphasis on the entrance door). It is one of few buildings in the latter style made for communities of modest means.Stroe and Mihai, p. 157 Made of brick and reinforced concrete, the church is shaped like a Greek cross, 22 meters long by 14 meters wide. Four main columns support the two vaulted ceilings, north–south and east–west. The octagonal dome sits atop their intersection. The square bell tower sits atop the

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 ...

and small vestibule. The portico features five frontal arches and three on each side, with cylindrical columns and flowered capitals. The facades are simple, with one pediment below each dome. The bell tower base has a rectangular area for icons of the patron saints. The churchyard contains the parish house (1956-1958) and a chapel (1995). 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, *Adriana Stroe, Daniela Mihai, “Note despre Biserica Sf. Nicolae din Dămăroaia“, ''Buletinul Comisiei Monumentelor Istorice'', 2011, pp. 146-57 {{coord, 44.4886, 26.0533, format=dms, type:landmark_region:RO, display=title Historic monuments in Bucharest Romanian Orthodox churches in Bucharest Churches completed in 1946