What stories could these modest houses tell? Yet, nestled between them, a sacred space awaits: Biserica Ortodoxă „Adormirea Maicii Domnului – Giulești Sărindar”. This church is in the Giulești neighborhood, in the northwest of Bucharest. Specifically, it lies in the 16 Februarie area, towards Giulești Sârbi.
Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului Giulești Sărindar is more than just a church. It is steeped in history. The church was once a metoc, a dependency of the Giulești-Țigănia monastery, now in ruins. Both were built around the same time.
Some say Doamna Chiajna founded the monastery in the 16th century. Others believe Alexandru Ipsilanti established it in the 18th century. Another theory suggests that the church was a metoc of Sărindar Monastery. This was located on Podul Mogoșoaiei. In 1768, Gheorghe and Radu are mentioned as painters of the church. Ienăchiță Văcărescu donated 2000 taleri to the church in 1797.
The name Giulești-Țigănia came from the Roma slaves who worked on the monastery’s land. Later, it became known as Giulești-Sărindar. This new name was because some monks made money by performing many sărindare. These were a type of religious service.
In 1946-1947, Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului Giulești Sărindar was a historical monument. The communist regime later removed this status. At the beginning of the 20th century, it shifted from a monastery to a parish church. Initially, it was a branch of the Giulești Sârbi Parish. Later, it gained its own legal status.
Unfortunately, the church lost old documents and books in a plague that ravaged the area. This happened during Caragea’s rule in 1782-1783. The paintings were retouched in 1911 and 1955. Ioan Moroșanu oversaw the restoration. Experts believe the original 1768 paintings still exist inside. The pomelnic at the Proskomedia serves as proof.
The 1977 earthquake severely damaged Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului Giulești Sărindar. Father Ioan Iancu Petrulian and parishioners helped with repairs. They reinforced the structure inside and out. From 1980 to 1982, Ioan Moroșanu also helped restore the paintings.
In 1999, thieves robbed and set fire to the church. Father Radu Gheorghe and the community replaced the roof in 2002. They also built a new diaconicon in 2003. The church expanded with renovations. The front wall of the pronaos was restored in 2006. This enlarged the entrance.
In 2014, under Father Dobrică Marian, the church underwent major exterior work. This included waterproofing, polystyrene cladding, and new plaster. Workers repaired the pavement and stabilized the masonry. They also added a base to the diaconicon and redid the window sills. Electrical cables were placed in conduits.
Inside, the church is a single nave. It measures 22 by 5.8 meters. The altar apse is pentagonal. A metal-clad bell tower without windows rises above the pronaos. Three arches separate the pronaos from the naos. The iconostasis is made of painted masonry with three rows of icons. The paintings follow Byzantine iconographic principles.
The color palette includes red, ochre, green, and bluish-gray. The interior floor is tiled. In 2009, a chapel was built on the ground floor with a library and reading room above. Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului Giulești Sărindar stands as a testament to faith. It shows resilience through centuries of change.