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St. Demetrius–Poștă Church

Churches completed in 1843Historic monuments in BucharestLipscaniRomanian Orthodox churches in Bucharest
Sf Dumitru Posta 63
Sf Dumitru Posta 63

St. Demetrius–Poștă Church (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Dimitrie–Poștă) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 2 Poștei Street in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Demetrius of Thessaloniki. A church existed on the site around 1500. Probably destroyed after the Battle of Călugăreni in 1595 and rebuilt after 1600, the subsequent church is mentioned in a document of 1680. Before 1690, the church was rebuilt by Badea Bălǎceanu, the brother-in-law of Șerban Cantacuzino. Made of wood, it did not last long. It was rebuilt in stone in 1741-1746, was in poor shape in 1797, severely damaged by the 1802 earthquake and burned in 1804.The current structure was begun in 1819 by Buzău Bishop Constantin Filitti, continued by his successor Gherasim Rătescu and completed in 1843 by still another bishop, Chesarie Căpățână. Unusually for the period, contracts from 1819 between Filitti and an architect, a carpenter and three painters survive. The 1847 Great Fire of Bucharest destroyed the roof and paintings; repairs carried out in 1852 included a new roof, reinforced walls and new paintings by Carol Szathmari. By 1912, the church was again in ruins and proposed for demolition. It was saved and renovated by Ioan C. Filitti, a great-nephew of the bishop, with funds offered by Mayor Dimitrie Dobrescu. Reopening in 1930, it was further repaired in 1964-1966, 1986 (following the 1977 earthquake), 1995 and after 2002.The cross-shaped church is 25.2 meters long by 9.5 meters wide, rising to a height of 13.9 meters. The narthex is small, the altar elongated. The Christ Pantocrator dome rises above the apses; it has eight sides on a square base. The roof is covered in tin. The facades are ornamented in Greek Revival style, while the pediment is in profile. The side pilasters are Doric, beneath a continuous floral decoration. The western side has six very tall Ionic columns, above which are medallions of the Twelve Apostles. Above the 1852 pisanie is a recessed icon of the patron saint, flanked by rectangular frames with Saints Peter and Paul. The interior painting is in realist style and does not respect the Byzantine canons. The Baroque iconostasis was carved at Buzău.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs. Its nickname comes from the nearby Post Office Palace. It is also known as the “Church of Oath Taking” (Biserica de Jurământ), due to the solemn oaths people would swear near the altar.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article St. Demetrius–Poștă Church (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

St. Demetrius–Poștă Church
St. Demetrius Street, Bucharest Centrul Istoric (Sector 3)

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N 44.430833333333 ° E 26.098888888889 °
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Biserica Ortodoxă "Sfântul Dumitru" - Poștă

St. Demetrius Street
030077 Bucharest, Centrul Istoric (Sector 3)
Romania
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Sf Dumitru Posta 63
Sf Dumitru Posta 63
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Caru' cu Bere
Caru' cu Bere

Caru' cu Bere (aka Carul cu Bere; "the beer wagon") is a bar and restaurant on Stavropoleos Street in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. The business was originally opened as a brewery in 1879 by Ioan Căbășan and his nephews, Ion, Gheorghe, and Nicolae Mircea. They were originally citizens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and from Cața, Transylvania. In 1889, Căbășan assigned his lease to his eldest nephew, Ion. Ion died later that same year and was replaced in the family firm by the youngest sibling, Víctor.Nicolae bought the building at 5 Stavropoleos Street in 1897, and made plans to open a restaurant there to expand their business operations. They hired the Austrian architect Siegfrid Kofczinsky to design a restaurant and brewery building in the gothic revival style. Co-owners were Nicolae, Ignat, and Víctor Mircea. The restaurant opened in 1899, featuring their beer. Victor left the establishment in 1912, opening his own brewery and several years later, Nicolae set up Ignat in a wine cellar business. When Nicolae died in 1929, his heirs assumed control of the business and operated it until the communist state nationalized the operation in 1949.In 1986, extensive restoration was done on the property, led by Nicolae Gheorghe. When the Socialist Republic of Romania was overthrown in 1989, the heirs of the Mircea family began efforts to regain their ownership. In 1999, Caru' cu Bere was returned to them and they began extensive renovations to restore the property to its former state. It is noted for its distinctive art nouveau interior decoration. It is operated by Dragoș Petrescu's City Grill chain, and is classified as a historic monument, number B-II-m-B-19728.Romanian writer Mateiu Caragiale's frame story, Sub pecetea tainei, is set in Caru' cu Bere.

Zlătari Church
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The Zlătari Church (Romanian: Biserica Zlătari) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 12 Calea Victoriei in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Nativity of Mary. Reportedly, the first church on the site was built in the mid-17th century, likely of wood, and is mentioned in a 1667 document. Legend has it that the founders were zlătari, gold or silversmiths. The 1709 pisanie was lost in 1850, but a likely apocryphal record of its Greek text was preserved. According to this source, a new church was built in 1705, with Spătar Mihail Cantacuzino as ktetor. He generously endowed the monastery with stores and estates, making it among the wealthiest in the country during the 18th century. In 1709, when Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos Palladas visited the court of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, the monastery and its surrounding inn were subordinated to his church.The church suffered severe damage during the 1802 and 1838 earthquakes, and was entirely rebuilt starting in 1850, as recorded by the 1860 pisanie, also in Greek; reportedly, Xavier Villacrosse was the architect. The interior painting, dating to 1853–1856, was done by Gheorghe Tattarescu, and features biblical scenes on large panels. The iconostasis, carved in wood and gilt, as well as its silvered icons, are works of art. The monastery chapel, mentioned by Dionisie Fotino in 1818 and used for prayer by Russian travelers, was demolished in 1850. The building underwent repairs in 1864, 1876 and 1898, becoming a parish church in 1888. In 1903, the inn and bell tower were demolished in order to widen the street. A fresco depicting the Nativity of the Virgin and an inscription submitting to Alexandria were discovered at the time, but later lost.The church was again restored in 1907–1908; its domes were damaged in the 1940 tremor. These were repaired provisionally and given their current form in 1971–1973. Until the late 1970s, the church stood alone between Lipscani and Stavropoleos Streets, with green space covering the inn foundation. At that point, one apartment block was built on either side.The single-nave church measures 23.5 meters long by 12 meters wide, finishing in an altar apse. Aside from the central dome, there are four smaller ones atop the nave corners; these are octagonal, resting on square bases. Light comes into the interior through stained glass windows depicting saints. Two brass candelabra in Oriental style were donated by the father of a colonel who lived in the inn around 1830. Red bricks decorate the exterior. The canopied portico features arches on stone columns. The right arm of Saint Cyprian is held in a small reliquary before the altar.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

Dobroteasa Church
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