The Romanian Patriarchy

The church has been begun in 1656 by the Ruling Prince Constantin Şerban the Snub-Nosed and Lady Bălaşa, on the foundations of a wooden hermitage, but was finished by Mihail Radu Mihnea III. It has its festivity on the day of the Saint Emperors Constantin and Helen. It is the same period, when the Mitropoly’s Palace is being raised, a palace, that has been widened during the 17th century.

1688 it takes over from the Old St. George’s Church the title of the Valahian Mitropolitan Seat. 1886 the church is being repainted by Gh. Tattarescu. From its original painting remains only the icon of its festivity, the icon of the Saint Emperors Constantin and Helen..

1744, the Russian General Saltâkov brings from Rusciuk (today’s Bulgaria) the relics of the Saint Dimitrie Basarabov, with the intent to bring them to Russia. He has been convinced to leave them to the Mitropoly, and the saint becomes the protector of the city. During World War I, the Bulgarian army steals the relics. The Prefect of Bucharest intervenes, asking a German Detachment to cathc up with them and bring the relics back. They duly accepted and the relics were brought back to the Mitropoly.

1678, the Metropolitan Bishop Varlaam, instals a second publishing house at the Mitropoly. The first book printed here is The Clue of Meaning. Other books follow in several languages (Greek, Slavone, Arabian and Turkish – the first book in Turkish language being printed in Bucharest). Of utter importance to the Romanian languageis the Bible, printed at the Mitropolitan Seat of Bucharest.

1925, when the Romanian Orthodox Church has been raised to the level of a Patriarchy, the church becomes the Patriarchal Cathedral Romania’s, alongside with Valahia’s Mitropoly.

Also on the Patriarchy’s Hill, on the place where the meeting room of the Divan (the first form of Parliament in Valahia), and then meeting place for discussions of the Union of Moldova and Valahia in 1859, the Parliament’s Palace has been constructed in 1907. It has proven as too little by 1996, when the one of the chambers of the Parliament moves to the House of the People (now Parliament’s House), and the building is taken over by the Patriarchy.