Saint Nicholas, Theodor and Stylianos Church is one of the two

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

churches in

Balotești Balotești is a Communes of Romania, commune in the northwestern part of Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania. Two small rivers flow through this location: Cociovaliștea and Vlăsia. It is composed of three villages: Balotești, Dumbrăveni, and Săft ...

Ilfov County Ilfov () is the Counties of Romania, county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but, after the fall of communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, whi ...

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 ...

History

The church was constructed in 1763 by the custodian of the princely mines, the Greek nobleman Zamfirache, and his wife Elena. The church is dedicated to Saints

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

Theodore Tiron : ''For another Saint Theodore, see: Theodore Stratelates or Saint Theodore (disambiguation)''. Saint Theodore (Άγιος Θεοδώρος), distinguished as Theodore of Amasea, Theodore the Recruit (Θεοδώρος ό Τήρων), and by ot ...

, and Stelian. Constructed in the shape of a cross, it features two domes on the roof, one serving as a

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

until 1944 when the bell was hidden to prevent seizure by German forces. The church walls are a meter thick, and the interior is illuminated by five windows, each with a round vent covered by a

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...

stone rosette for ventilation. Over time, renovations were made, including enclosing the church porch with doors and windows, and adding two smaller windows to the altar area. The church bell, cast in 1906 with the assistance of

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

Ioan Lahovary Ioan N. Lahovary or Ion Lahovari; January 25, 1844 – June 14, 1915) was a member of Romanian aristocracy, a politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania. Political career Ioan Lahovary was the brother ...

, has since fallen into disrepair despite several attempts at welding. The church underwent various repairs over the years, including consolidations in 1822, 1868, 1965, and major renovations in 1982–1984. Restoration works, including the painting, were carried out in 1992–1993, with support from local authorities, private firms, and the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the East ...

. The names of parish priests since Stan are inscribed on the wall near the Prothesis. The church's

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es, last restored in 1993 by the painter Romeo Andronic, faithfully adhere to the original artwork. The

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 ...

, made of stone, was also painted and restored in fresco. Despite its historical significance, the church does not possess any national heritage objects. There is a cemetery where

citizens are buried.

Gallery

St. Nicholas, Theodor and Stylianos Church Balotești, Ilfov, Romania 01.jpg, The Church from outside St. Nicholas, Theodor and Stylianos Church Balotești, Ilfov, Romania 03.jpg, The cemetery

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Nicholas, Theodor and Stylianos Church Churches in Ilfov County 18th-century churches in Romania Historic monuments in Ilfov County Religious buildings and structures completed in 1763 18th-century establishments in Wallachia