The

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

Episcopal Palace () is a historical building in Union Square,

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

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 part of the Serbian quarter of Union Square, known as ''Careul Sârbesc'' ("Serbian Square"), alongside the Ascension Cathedral and the Serbian Community House.

History

The eastern body of the building, and partly the southern one, was built between 1745 and 1748, commissioned by the Serbian Orthodox bishop Georgije Popović, to serve as an episcopal residence and seat of the Rascian school, the edifice being originally built in the provincial baroque style. In 1790, the meeting of the superior clergy of the Archbishopric of Carlowitz took place here. During the 19th century, several stages of construction took place, the southern wing being completed and the western wing being built, in 1812 being mentioned the completion of the building with the body located at 10 Emanoil Ungureanu Street. During this period, the building receives a

historicist Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...

appearance. In 1864, after the hierarchical separation of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania and Banat from the Serbian one, the palace returned to the Serbian Orthodox Episcopate. On 16 August 1905, a building permit was obtained for the remodeling of the facades according to the project made by , with bishop

Georgije Letić Georgije Letić (secular name: Dr. Đorđe Letić; 6 April 1872 - 8 November 1935) was the bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church in what is today Romania. He was a progressive educator who promoted co-education. Biography Dr. Georgije Letić was ...

as the sponsor. The palace underwent major changes: the western wing was completed, the southern wing was over-storied, and regarding the facade of the building, the old baroque decor was replaced with an

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

one with Byzantine influences. The work was completed on 7 October 1906. In 1911, decorations taken from Serbian architecture were added. Currently, the building houses the Museum Collection of the Serbian Orthodox Bishopric, opened in 1967 and housed in six rooms, but also several businesses operating on the ground floor of the building, such as restaurants, cafes and an antique shop. There is also a particularly valuable library and archive here, where the original plans of the palace are kept. The building was restored in 1983, together with the rest of the buildings in Union Square, and between 2010 and 2013.

Architecture

The building is made in the 1900s style, also known as

Secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

. The ground floor is treated as a plinth, and the first floor has neo-Serbian decorations above the windows. At roof level, the three central bays are dominated by a monumental pediment, imitating forms from traditional

Russian architecture The architecture of Russia refers to the architecture of modern Russia as well as the architecture of both the original Kievan Rus', the Russian principalities, and Imperial Russia. Due to the geographical size of modern and Imperial Russia, i ...

. Above the entrance gate one can see the coat of arms of the Serbian Orthodox Bishopric of Timișoara.

References

{{PlacesTimișoara Buildings and structures in Timișoara Historic monuments in Timiș County Serbian Orthodox Church in Romania