St. Demetrius–Poștă 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 2 Poștei Street in the

Lipscani Lipscani is a street and a district of Bucharest, Romania, which from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century was the most important commercial area of the city and Wallachia. It is located near the ruins of the Curtea Veche, old Princely Court ...

district 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

Demetrius of Thessaloniki Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki, Thessalonica (, ), also known as the Holy Great martyr, Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte (meaning 'the Myrrh-Gusher' or 'Myrrh-Streamer'; 3rd century – 306), was a Greeks, Greek Christianity, ...

. A church existed on the site around 1500. Probably destroyed after the

Battle of Călugăreni The Battle of Călugăreni took place during the history of early modern Romania on between the Wallachian army led by Michael the Brave and the Ottoman army led by Koca Sinan Pasha. It was part of the Long Turkish War, fought between Christ ...

in 1595 and rebuilt after 1600, the subsequent church is mentioned in a document of 1680. Before 1690, the church was rebuilt by Badea Bălăceanu, the brother-in-law of

Șerban Cantacuzino Șerban Cantacuzino (), (1634/1640 – 29 October 1688) was a List of rulers of Wallachia, Prince of Wallachia between 1678 and 1688. Biography Șerban Cantacuzino was a member of the Romanian branch of the Cantacuzino family, Cantacuzino noble ...

. Made of wood, it did not last long. It was rebuilt in stone in 1741-1746, was in poor shape in 1797, severely damaged by the 1802 earthquake and burned in 1804.Stoica and Ionescu-Ghinea, pp. 331-32 The current structure was begun in 1819 by Buzău Bishop Constantin Filitti, continued by his successor Gherasim Rătescu and completed in 1843 by still another bishop,

Chesarie Căpățână Chesarie Căpățână (born Constantin Căpățână; 1784 – November 30, 1846) was a Wallachian bishop. Biography Origins and ascension Born in Bucharest to a poor couple, Efrem Cavafu and his wife Dragna, he attended the Greek school at ...

. Unusually for the period, contracts from 1819 between Filitti and an architect, a carpenter and three painters survive. The 1847

Great Fire of Bucharest The Great Fire of Bucharest ( or simply ) was the largest conflagration ever to occur in Bucharest, Romania, then the capital of Wallachia. It started on 23 March 1847 and destroyed 1850 buildings, a third of the city, including, according to Pr ...

destroyed the roof and paintings; repairs carried out in 1852 included a new roof, reinforced walls and new paintings by

Carol Szathmari Carol Szathmari (Romanian: Carol Popp de Szathmari, Hungarian: Szathmáry Pap Károly; 11 January 1812, Kolozsvár – 3 July 1887, Bucharest) was a Romania, Romanian painter, lithographer, and photographer of Hungarians, Transylvanian Hungari ...

. By 1912, the church was again in ruins and proposed for demolition. It was saved and renovated by Ioan C. Filitti, a great-nephew of the bishop, with funds offered by

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Dimitrie Dobrescu. Reopening in 1930, it was further repaired in 1964-1966, 1986 (following the 1977 earthquake), 1995 and after 2002. The cross-shaped church is 25.2 meters long by 9.5 meters wide, rising to a height of 13.9 meters. 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 ...

is small, the altar elongated. The

Christ Pantocrator In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator (, ) is a specific depiction of Christ. or , literally 'ruler of all', but usually translated as 'almighty' or 'all-powerful', is derived from one of many names of God in Judaism. The Pantokrator i ...

dome rises above the apses; it has eight sides on a square base. The roof is covered in tin. The facades are ornamented in

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

style, while the pediment is in profile. The side pilasters are Doric, beneath a continuous floral decoration. The western side has six very tall Ionic columns, above which are medallions of the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

. Above the 1852 ''

pisanie A pisanie is an architectural element, that consists of an inscription carved in stone, wood, metal, painted, etc., on the top of tombs or above the main door at the entrance in a church, in which are recorded information about the church, the dono ...

'' is a recessed icon of the patron saint, flanked by rectangular frames with Saints

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

. The interior painting is in realist style and does not respect the Byzantine canons. The Baroque

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 ...

was carved at

Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...

. 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
Its nickname comes from the nearby Post Office Palace. It is also known as the “Church of Oath Taking” (''Biserica de Jurământ''), due to the solemn oaths people would swear near the altar.

Notes

References

*Lucia Stoica and Neculai Ionescu-Ghinea, ''Enciclopedia lăcașurilor de cult din București'', vol. I. Bucharest: Editura Universalia, 2005,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Demetrius Historic monuments in Bucharest Romanian Orthodox churches in Bucharest Churches completed in 1843 Lipscani ro:Biserica Sfântul Dumitru - Poștă