The Orthodox Cathedral (), also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral (), 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
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
in
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 ...
. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishopric of Timișoara and the
Metropolis of Banat. It is dedicated to the
Three Holy Hierarchs
The Three Hierarchs (; ) of Eastern Christianity refers to Basil the Great (also known as Basil of Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and John Chrysostom. They were highly influential bishops of the early ch ...
,
Basil the Great
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330 – 1 or 2 January 379) was an early Roman Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who suppor ...
,
Gregory the Theologian and
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom (; ; – 14 September 407) was an important Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and p ...
.
Built on an area of 1,542 m
2, it has 11 towers, of which the central one has a height of 90.5 m, making it the second tallest church in Romania, after the
People's Salvation Cathedral
The People's Salvation Cathedral (; ''People's Liberation Cathedral'' is an alternative translation of the name), also known as the National Cathedral (), is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral under construction in Bucharest, Romania, to serve as the ...
in
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 ...
.
The cathedral is listed in the
National Register of Historic Monuments.
History
The history of the cathedral is closely linked to the year 1919, when, on 28 July,
Banat
Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
was united with Romania. The new Romanian administration took a series of measures to encourage
Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
, neglected by the previous Austro-Hungarian administration, which was only favorable to the
Catholic religion
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. Thus, the Bishopric of Timișoara was created, elevated to the rank of archbishopric in 1939, and in 1947 the
Metropolis of Banat was established.
There was an obvious need to build a new place of worship, commensurate with the Orthodox community in Timișoara and the Romanian Banat. At the initiative of the parish of
Cetate (the historic center of Timișoara), a fund for the construction of the new church was set up and an appeal was launched to parishioners for donations. In 1936, all the preconditions for starting construction already existed. The financial fund for the building was already collected, although the total amount needed was very high for those times. The necessary land, located at the crossroads of the most important arteries of the city, was donated by the City Hall, and the project of the church was entrusted since 1934 to the architect . The project provided for a building with a capacity of 5,000 people. The City Hall provided all the bricks free of charge, and the
Reșița Steel Works made a 30% discount on the purchase price of 330 tons of iron.
The actual construction began on 16 March 1936. On 20 December of the same year, a solemn service was held, laying the foundation stone of the future cathedral (which was consecrated by Bishop
Andrei Magieru of
Arad). The execution of the construction works was done by Tiberiu Eremia's company from Bucharest.
The church bells and crosses were consecrated on 23 August 1938. The final reception of the construction works took place on 9 July 1940, and the parish council approved this reception on 24 July.
The cathedral was inaugurated on 6 October 1946 in the presence of King
Michael I Michael I may refer to:
* Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767
* Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844)
* Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantinop ...
, Prime Minister
Petru Groza
Petru Groza (7 December 1884 – 7 January 1958) was a Romanian politician, best known as the first Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister of the Romanian Communist Party, Communist Party-dominated government under Soviet Union, Soviet Sovie ...
, Patriarch
Nicodim Munteanu, Bishop of Timișoara , Metropolitan of Transylvania
Nicolae Bălan and representatives of other cults, led by Roman Catholic bishop
Augustin Pacha and Greek Catholic bishop
Ioan Bălan
Ioan Bălan (11 February 1880 – 4 August 1959) was a Romanian bishop of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic, Greek-Catholic Church. He is venerated as a Beatification, Blessed in the Roman Catholic Church.
Biography
He was bo ...
. During
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 ...
, after Romania turned its weapons against Germany, German aircraft bombed Timișoara (30–31 October 1944). Six bombs fell on the cathedral, but only one of them exploded, causing significant but limited damage.
The interior and exterior painting was finished only in 1956, due to World War II and the difficult period that followed.
Architecture
The building's style is
neo-Moldavian, based on
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
Orthodox, late
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
,
Ottoman and
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the Fall of Cons ...
elements, such as
niches under the
eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...
, ribbed star
vaulting in the interior and
lacquered discs in a variety of colors. Such elements can be found in the old
Cozia and Prislop monasteries, typical for the 14th century. The church is a fortunate "head of perspective" of the
Victory Square in front of it. The style of the building is not entirely extraneous to the 1900s architecture in the square, also characterized by the ample play of roofs.
63 meters long and 32 meters wide,
the cathedral owes its monumentality to the height of its middle dome – the dome of the
Pantocrator (the Almighty). 52 meters high on the inside and 83 meters high on the outside, the middle dome is surmounted by a 7-meter-high cross and sustained by 10 decorative chains and golden buckles.
At one point, the building was the third tallest in the country, after
Casa Scânteii (104 m) and the
People's House (84 m), both located in
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 ...
. Due to the marshy terrain, the cathedral stands on a concrete slab supported by 1,186 reinforced concrete pillars, driven at a depth of 20 m. The built area is 1,542 m
2, while the total construction volume is about 50,000 m
3. The seven bells, cast in Anton Novotny's workshop, have a total weight of 7,000 kg and were made of an alloy of metals brought from
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
(
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
and
Borneo
Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
). Their harmonization was done by the composer
Sabin Drăgoi.
The interior and exterior painting was executed by a group of painters led by the painter
Anastase Demian. 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 ...
was carved and gilded in 22-carat gold by master Ștefan Gajo,
who also made the three chandeliers, the two candlesticks and the Lord's Tomb (located in the pronaos).
The plan shape of the cathedral is the typical Byzantine one, in the shape of a cross, the interior being divided into
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 ...
,
pronaos
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cultu ...
,
naos and
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
. On either side of the pronaos are the side galleries. Above the awning, towards the pronaos, is the balcony of the choir, which can accommodate 150 people. The interior of the cathedral is illuminated by 16 windows in the main dome and 30 side windows. The exterior walls of the church are clad in apparent red and yellow-orange brick, as well as glazed discs and painted niches. In the middle of the facade is a mosaic icon of the cathedral's patrons, the
Three Holy Hierarchs
The Three Hierarchs (; ) of Eastern Christianity refers to Basil the Great (also known as Basil of Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and John Chrysostom. They were highly influential bishops of the early ch ...
. Maria Laurenția Minulescu, the daughter of the poet
Ion Minulescu, executed this 5.25-square-meter mosaic.
The towers are covered with glazed tiles, made in
Jimbolia, which contain the colors of the
national flag
A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...
(red, yellow, blue) on a green background.
At the top of the towers are six crosses, three miters and six "heads" of crosses. The crosses were made by Iacob Schwab's company from Timișoara.
The open hallway of the cathedral is supported by six large marble columns, each placed on a square pedestal. The entrance to the church is made through three massive doors in two wings, carved both outside and inside. There are also entrance doors on the sides, also carved.
The entrance doors, the rows of chairs and the entire furniture along the sides of the naos and pronaos are the works of the sculptor Traian Novac. The interior decorations (pilasters, capitals, friezes, railings, frames, cases, etc.) were made by Ioan Cristescu's company from Bucharest.
The floor of the church made of mosaic tiles combines the style and color of the Banat carpets, being executed according to the sketches of the painter .
Museum exhibitions
The cathedral houses the relics of Joseph the New, considered the protector of the Romanian Orthodox in Banat, former Orthodox bishop of Timișoara (1651–1655), who came from
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism.
The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...
and then retreated to the
Partoș Monastery. On 25 February 1950, the Holy Synod of 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 ...
decided to canonize Joseph the New, as well as to relocate his relics from the church of the Partoș Monastery to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timișoara.
In the basement of the cathedral is the collection of religious art of the Metropolis of Banat. This collection, organized at the initiative of
Nicolae Corneanu since 1962, includes objects of ancient religious art from all over Banat. The collection currently holds over 3,000 rare volumes of church books, over 800 religious icons and paintings and over 130 church objects (precious metal artifacts, clothing and ornaments).
There is also a collection of early writings in
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
. Examples include the 1648 ''Noul Testament de la Bălgrad'' ("The
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
of
Bălgrad") and the 1643 ''Cazania lui Varlaam'' ("The
Homiliary
A homiliarium or homiliary is a collection of homilies, or familiar explanations of the Gospels.
History
Late Antiquity
From a very early time the homilies of the Fathers were in high esteem, and were read in connection with the recitation of ...
of
Varlaam").
The side of the basement from the altar includes the necropolis of the metropolitans of Banat. The first metropolitan buried here was (metropolitan during 1947–1961).
See also
*
List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings
This is a list of the largest Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox church buildings in the world, based on area and capacity. Any Eastern Orthodox church building that has a capacity of 3,000 people or more, can be added to this page. Entries ...
References
See also
*
List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings
This is a list of the largest Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox church buildings in the world, based on area and capacity. Any Eastern Orthodox church building that has a capacity of 3,000 people or more, can be added to this page. Entries ...
*
List of tallest domes
This is a list of the tallest domes in the world. The dome can be measured by various criteria. There are different types of domes. Many of the tallest domes have a lantern. Strictly speaking, the lantern is not part of the dome, but often the o ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Timisoara Orthodox Cathedral
Romanian Orthodox cathedrals in Romania
Religious buildings and structures in Timișoara
Churches completed in 1940
20th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings
Historic monuments in Timiș County