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Metropolitan Cathedral, Iași

December 01, 2023

The Metropolitan Cathedral, Iași (Romanian: Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași), located at 16 Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Boulevard, Iași, Romania, is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Iași and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, and the largest historic Orthodox church in Romania.[1] It is dedicated to Saint Parascheva, to the Presentation of Jesus and to Saint George. Its form was inspired by the late Italian Renaissance style (Trinità dei Monti in particular), with Baroque elements dominating the interior and exterior decorative features.[2] The Metropolitan Cathedral is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments.[3]

Iași Metropolitan Cathedral
Romanian: Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași
47°09′41″N 27°34′56″E / 47.16149°N 27.58210°E / 47.16149; 27.58210
LocationIași
CountryRomania
DenominationRomanian Orthodox Church
History
Consecrated1887
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Gustav Freywald, Bucher, Mihail Singurov, Alexandru Orăscu
StyleNeoclassical
Groundbreaking1833
Completed1839/1886
Specifications
Number of towers4
MaterialsBrick, concrete
Administration
MetropolisMoldavia and Bukovina

History edit

Two churches previously stood on the site: the White Church (15th century) and the Presentation Church (17th century). On 8 August 1826, prince Ioan Sturdza signed a decree ordering construction of the cathedral; Metropolitan Veniamin Costache laid the cornerstone on 3 July 1833 and guided construction in its early years. Work began in 1833, using a neo-classical design by Viennese architects Gustav Freywald and Bucher, and continued at a rapid pace until 1841, in the latter years under the Russian architect Mihail Singurov. In 1839, after it was completely built and covered, serious cracks had appeared on the large central arch. Various solutions were attempted (in 1840 Singurov replaced the brick ceiling with wood, for example), but on 23 May 1857, the ceiling collapsed taking the interior columns with it, and the building remained ruined for decades.[4][5]

At the urging of Metropolitan Iosif Naniescu (1875-1902), the newly independent Romanian state decided to start the restoration work of the cathedral.[6] A new cornerstone was laid on 15 April 1880. Architect Alexandru Orăscu, rector of the University of Bucharest, designed new plans that added two rows of massive pilasters to the interior, creating a rectangular basilica shape, with a central nave and two smaller side naves. The four detached side spires were kept, but the large central dome was eliminated and replaced with a system of four semicircular sections, separated by transverse arches.[4]

The cathedral was consecrated on 23 April 1887, in the presence of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth, who had donated large sums for the project. In 1889, the relics of Saint Parascheva, patron saint of Moldavia, were brought from Trei Ierarhi Monastery and continue to attract crowds of pilgrims, particularly on her feast day (October 14). These are located on the right side of the vestibule, as are those of Veniamin Costache.[4]

Architecture edit

Standing in the centre of the Metropolitan Complex, the Great Cathedral is a monumental building of a rectangular plan with four detached towers at its corners that originally flanked an immense dome. The cathedral is 56.70 metres (186.0 ft) long and 34.15 metres (112.0 ft) wide, and with a height of the towers of 52.92 metres (173.6 ft), it is one of the tallest historical buildings in Moldavia.[7]

The exterior of the cathedral, as well as the interior, is decorated in the Baroque style. The eastern façade has a central motif formed of six Corinthian columns erected on a stone socle, which support the architrave, above which is a high bas-relief of the Presentation of the Lord. The western façade has eight columns separated by the entrance, above which there is a recessed balcony whose vault has a curved mosaic also showing the Presentation; above that is a stone carving of Saint George. The roof is decorated with zinc fleurons and stylized crosses adorn both the roof and the four spires.[2]

Gheorghe Tattarescu painted the icons and decorative elements in a style that respected Orthodox norms but also showed a Renaissance influence. The four Biblical scenes above the central nave, the saints' faces and the decorative compositions all show an Italian neo-classical rigor, to which the artist had been exposed during his studies at Rome's Accademia di San Luca. This creates harmony between the painting and the architectural style.[4] The stained glass was worked in Munich and redone after World War II, under Metropolitan Justinian Marina.[8] Two valuable icons painted in the 16th century are kept inside; they depict Christ Pantocrator and the Madonna and Child.[2]

Metropolitan Complex edit

In the environs of the monumental church there are St George's Church (the Old Metropolitan Cathedral) built in 1761–1769, the Metropolitan Palace (18th century), the Metropolitan Chancellery, the Dumitru Stăniloae Metropolitan Library, the St. George monastic home, the Epivata house, and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology (founded in 1860 as a co-founder faculty of the University of Iași).[9]

Museum edit

In May 2016, the Metropolitan Museum dedicated to the history of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina was inaugurated in the basement of the Great Cathedral.[10]

Gallery edit

  •  

    Western façade

  •  

    Detail of mosaic showing the Presentation of Jesus

  •  

    Interior

  •  

    The cathedral before 1855

  •  

    The Metropolitan Palace

  •  

    The Old Metropolitan Cathedral

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ (in Romanian) "Iaşi", St. Paraskeve Pilgrimage Centre, Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina
  2. ^ a b c "Obiectiv turistic"
  3. ^ (in Romanian) Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Judeţul Iaşi 2012-03-19 at the Wayback Machine, p.111
  4. ^ a b c d "Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași", Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina
  5. ^ Metropolitan Cathedral at monumenteiasi.ro
  6. ^ (in Romanian) "Monumentele de suflet ale Iașului: statuia lui Ștefan și Catedrala Mitropolitană"
  7. ^ The architecture
  8. ^ "Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași", crestinortodox.ro
  9. ^ Ansamblul Mitropolitan Iași
  10. ^ Ansamblul Mitropolitan din Iaşi s-a deschis pentru public

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metropolitan cathedral in Iași.
  • Iași Metropolitan Cathedral website
  • Iași Metropolitan Complex
  • , Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina (in Romanian)
  • (in Romanian)
  • , Iași City Hall (in Romanian)
  • Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iaşi, crestinortodox.ro (in Romanian)
  • Istoria neromanţată a lucrărilor de consolidare şi restaurare a Catedralei mitropolitane (in Romanian)
  • Cupola centrală a Catedralei Mitropolitane din Iaşi, o enigmă a istoriei? (in Romanian)

December 01, 2023
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The Metropolitan Cathedral Iași Romanian Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași located at 16 Ștefan cel Mare și Sfant Boulevard Iași Romania is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Iași and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina and the largest historic Orthodox church in Romania 1 It is dedicated to Saint Parascheva to the Presentation of Jesus and to Saint George Its form was inspired by the late Italian Renaissance style Trinita dei Monti in particular with Baroque elements dominating the interior and exterior decorative features 2 The Metropolitan Cathedral is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments 3 Iași Metropolitan CathedralRomanian Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași47 09 41 N 27 34 56 E 47 16149 N 27 58210 E 47 16149 27 58210LocationIașiCountryRomaniaDenominationRomanian Orthodox ChurchHistoryConsecrated1887ArchitectureFunctional statusActiveArchitect s Gustav Freywald Bucher Mihail Singurov Alexandru OrăscuStyleNeoclassicalGroundbreaking1833Completed1839 1886SpecificationsNumber of towers4MaterialsBrick concreteAdministrationMetropolisMoldavia and Bukovina Contents 1 History 2 Architecture 3 Metropolitan Complex 3 1 Museum 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory editTwo churches previously stood on the site the White Church 15th century and the Presentation Church 17th century On 8 August 1826 prince Ioan Sturdza signed a decree ordering construction of the cathedral Metropolitan Veniamin Costache laid the cornerstone on 3 July 1833 and guided construction in its early years Work began in 1833 using a neo classical design by Viennese architects Gustav Freywald and Bucher and continued at a rapid pace until 1841 in the latter years under the Russian architect Mihail Singurov In 1839 after it was completely built and covered serious cracks had appeared on the large central arch Various solutions were attempted in 1840 Singurov replaced the brick ceiling with wood for example but on 23 May 1857 the ceiling collapsed taking the interior columns with it and the building remained ruined for decades 4 5 At the urging of Metropolitan Iosif Naniescu 1875 1902 the newly independent Romanian state decided to start the restoration work of the cathedral 6 A new cornerstone was laid on 15 April 1880 Architect Alexandru Orăscu rector of the University of Bucharest designed new plans that added two rows of massive pilasters to the interior creating a rectangular basilica shape with a central nave and two smaller side naves The four detached side spires were kept but the large central dome was eliminated and replaced with a system of four semicircular sections separated by transverse arches 4 The cathedral was consecrated on 23 April 1887 in the presence of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth who had donated large sums for the project In 1889 the relics of Saint Parascheva patron saint of Moldavia were brought from Trei Ierarhi Monastery and continue to attract crowds of pilgrims particularly on her feast day October 14 These are located on the right side of the vestibule as are those of Veniamin Costache 4 Architecture editStanding in the centre of the Metropolitan Complex the Great Cathedral is a monumental building of a rectangular plan with four detached towers at its corners that originally flanked an immense dome The cathedral is 56 70 metres 186 0 ft long and 34 15 metres 112 0 ft wide and with a height of the towers of 52 92 metres 173 6 ft it is one of the tallest historical buildings in Moldavia 7 The exterior of the cathedral as well as the interior is decorated in the Baroque style The eastern facade has a central motif formed of six Corinthian columns erected on a stone socle which support the architrave above which is a high bas relief of the Presentation of the Lord The western facade has eight columns separated by the entrance above which there is a recessed balcony whose vault has a curved mosaic also showing the Presentation above that is a stone carving of Saint George The roof is decorated with zinc fleurons and stylized crosses adorn both the roof and the four spires 2 Gheorghe Tattarescu painted the icons and decorative elements in a style that respected Orthodox norms but also showed a Renaissance influence The four Biblical scenes above the central nave the saints faces and the decorative compositions all show an Italian neo classical rigor to which the artist had been exposed during his studies at Rome s Accademia di San Luca This creates harmony between the painting and the architectural style 4 The stained glass was worked in Munich and redone after World War II under Metropolitan Justinian Marina 8 Two valuable icons painted in the 16th century are kept inside they depict Christ Pantocrator and the Madonna and Child 2 Metropolitan Complex editIn the environs of the monumental church there are St George s Church the Old Metropolitan Cathedral built in 1761 1769 the Metropolitan Palace 18th century the Metropolitan Chancellery the Dumitru Stăniloae Metropolitan Library the St George monastic home the Epivata house and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology founded in 1860 as a co founder faculty of the University of Iași 9 Museum edit In May 2016 the Metropolitan Museum dedicated to the history of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina was inaugurated in the basement of the Great Cathedral 10 Gallery edit nbsp Western facade nbsp Detail of mosaic showing the Presentation of Jesus nbsp Interior nbsp The cathedral before 1855 nbsp The Metropolitan Palace nbsp The Old Metropolitan CathedralSee also edit nbsp Romania portal nbsp Christianity portalList of largest Orthodox cathedralsReferences edit in Romanian Iasi St Paraskeve Pilgrimage Centre Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina a b c Obiectiv turistic in Romanian Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010 Judeţul Iasi Archived 2012 03 19 at the Wayback Machine p 111 a b c d Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina Metropolitan Cathedral at monumenteiasi ro in Romanian Monumentele de suflet ale Iașului statuia lui Ștefan și Catedrala Mitropolitană The architecture Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iași crestinortodox ro Ansamblul Mitropolitan Iași Ansamblul Mitropolitan din Iasi s a deschis pentru publicExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metropolitan cathedral in Iași Iași Metropolitan Cathedral website Iași Metropolitan Complex Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iasi Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina in Romanian Obiectiv turistic Catedrala Mitropolitană in Romanian Mitropolia Moldovei si Bucovinei Iași City Hall in Romanian Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iasi crestinortodox ro in Romanian Istoria neromanţată a lucrărilor de consolidare si restaurare a Catedralei mitropolitane in Romanian Cupola centrală a Catedralei Mitropolitane din Iasi o enigmă a istoriei in Romanian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Metropolitan Cathedral Iași amp oldid 1115472995, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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