Did you notice the seemingly out-of-place funerary mound? It is here where our story of the Catedrala Ortodoxă Sf Ilie begins. For centuries this has been a place of worship.
Let’s delve into the captivating history of the Catedrala Ortodoxă Sf Ilie. This Romanian Orthodox church stands at 5 Silfidelor Street. It is dedicated to the Feast of the Annunciation. It also honors the Prophet Elijah.
Since the 17th century a church has marked this spot. It was in a poor district between the Dâmbovița River and a pond. The pond later became Cișmigiu Gardens. The earliest record appears in a 1639 deed by Matei Basarab. Some say Șerban Cantacuzino built it. He made it a metochion of his Cotroceni Monastery. This is noted in a 1693 document. A bell was donated in 1694-95 by Constantin Brâncoveanu.
Contrary to some beliefs the first church wasn’t wooden. Archaeological digs in 1953 found traces of the old church. This included rubble with fresco plaster and glazed discs. The mound was flattened by sand and gravel. This was left by builders of the first masonry church. Records mention a masonry structure before 1761. Ban Mihail Cantacuzino also noted it in an 1810 registry.
By Alexander Ypsilantis’ reign the Catedrala Ortodoxă Sf Ilie was failing. The 1802 earthquake caused walls to collapse. It was torn down in 1813.
The Catedrala Ortodoxă Sf Ilie was rebuilt. Massive walls were constructed from the foundations. This was done by Manolache Hrisoscoleo and Ștefan Voinescu. Radu Voinescu and the winter coat makers’ guild also helped. Construction finished in 1814. Gilding was completed in 1819. This date is on the pisanie above the portico entrance. The 1838 earthquake severely damaged it. Repairs painting and altar flooring occurred in 1862. More repairs took place in 1880 1886 and 1901.
The portico was once closed with windows. A baldachin stood on two wooden poles until 1927. The narthex bell tower was redone in masonry in 1935. The marble staircase from the street dates to 1936. Members of the Iron Guard undertook these projects. They began attending services there around 1927.
In 1937 the Catedrala Ortodoxă Sf Ilie hosted funerals for Ion Moța and Vasile Marin. They were Iron Guard members killed in the Spanish Civil War. In 1940 it held the funeral and reburial for Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. He was the movement’s founder. The church also honored Iron Guard members killed in prison. Another consolidation followed the 1977 earthquake.
The initial painting was redone in tempera in 1913. Alexandru Bassarab an Iron Guard artist repainted frescoes in 1936–1937. He used Neo-Byzantine style with Romanian touches. His work was destroyed in 1982. Other artists decorated the altar and upper nave from 1982–1985. They also worked on the narthex and lower altar from 1991–1993.
The Catedrala Ortodoxă Sf Ilie has an unusual shape. It is a three-nave basilica with a central apse. Smaller apses flank it for the altar area. The church is 29 meters long and 13 meters wide including the portico. The central nave is wider than the side ones. Six bays span all three naves. Two rows of stucco-covered wooden columns support a vaulted ceiling. The sides have flat ceilings. The entire ceiling consists of slatted wooden beams.
A fragile tin-covered wooden dome rises above the center. The western facade has a large open portico. It has five front-facing arches. The central arch is much larger than the side ones. These rest on cylindrical masonry columns. Above the portico a trapezoidal pediment terminates the facade. A semicircular niche encloses an icon of the patron saint.
An octagonal bell tower rises above the portico center. The smaller bell dates to 1777 and is inscribed in Romanian Cyrillic. The larger bell was cast in 1834 and is in Polish. Side facades feature pilasters in relief. The entrance portal features carved stone with post-Brâncovenesc motifs.
The southern nave holds six graves from 1814-1834. Carvings are in Cyrillic and Greek. Seating is along the edges and around the central columns. A richly carved baldachin sits above the altar table supported by four pillars. The iconostasis painted at Mount Athos spans the entire width. It has ten large icons. Five were coated in silver between 1838 and 1897. Greek inscriptions show the artists’ names. The princely throne ambon and candelabra are valuable art. The icon of Elijah is to the right of the entrance. The church owns relics of Saint Anthony the Great.
The parish house is northwest on the mound. It dates to 1936. A military jail was behind the altar apse from 1835 to 1848. Nicolae Bălcescu and Grigore Alexandrescu were held there in 1841. The church is a historic monument listed by Romania’s Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs. As you leave take one last look at the Catedrala Ortodoxă Sf Ilie. Think about the centuries of faith and history held within its walls.