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Merchants' Church

Churches completed in 1726Historic monuments in BucharestRomanian Orthodox churches in Bucharest
Bis Sf Nicolae Negustori 58
Bis Sf Nicolae Negustori 58

The Merchants' Church (Romanian: Biserica Negustori) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 5 Teodor Ștefănescu Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The oldest mention of a church on the site dates to 1665; the structure was of wood, with a bell tower. Its roof was of thatch or frame, and the entire church was destroyed by a 1718 fire that ravaged the city center. Under the supervision of Župan Simion Cupețul, it was rebuilt of brick between 1721 and 1726, dates recorded by the pisanie, and was painted by Pârvu Mutu and his apprentices. The 1802 earthquake damaged the structure, with an 1819 document mentioning its “very bad shape”. The 1838 earthquake provoked further damage, leading to its closure for a year. In 1839, High Agha Manuil Serghiad repaired it with his own money, so that he is considered a second ktetor.Radical repairs took place in 1867-1870, when the two domes were built of wood and tin, in an academic style with Classic Revival touches. The frame roof was replaced with tin. In 1888, Mayor Pache Protopopescu, whose father had been the parish priest, led efforts to enclose the portico with French windows, enlarge the side windows and hire Gheorghe Tattarescu to paint over much of the original fresco. Restorations took place in 1924-1930, including of the newer frescoes. In 1942, as a result of the 1940 earthquake, a wide iron belt was placed on the upper part of the exterior. The 1977, 1986 and 1990 earthquakes enlarged old cracks and caused new ones to appear, while the structural stability was weakened. Consolidation work took place in 2002.The cross-shaped church measures 27.6 meters long by 8.3 meters wide, and 11.4 meters high. The portico is spacious, with three frontal arches and two on each side resting on cylindrical masonry columns. The portal contains the 1839 pisanie, while the older one is fitted into the left wall. The 1870 bell tower rises above the square narthex; coated in tin, it has a slender column on each corner. An intermediate space, covered by a vaulted ceiling, separates the narthex from the nave. The latter is also square, with two apses, and supports the Pantocrator dome. A wooden iconostasis leads to the altar. A string course divides the exterior into two unequal sections. The pediment, with Neoclassical touches, probably dates to 1870. Nearly all of the surviving original frescoes are in the portico. Illustrating the Psalms, they offer valuable insight into the costumes of early 18th-century Wallachia. Near the altar, there is a small parish house, donated to the church in 1872.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Merchants' Church (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Merchants' Church
Strada Teodor Ștefănescu, Bucharest Cartierul Evreiesc (Sector 3)

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N 44.43405 ° E 26.10968 °
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Biserica Sfântul Nicolae - Negustori

Strada Teodor Ștefănescu 5
030591 Bucharest, Cartierul Evreiesc (Sector 3)
Romania
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Bis Sf Nicolae Negustori 58
Bis Sf Nicolae Negustori 58
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Church with the Saints
Church with the Saints

The Church with the Saints (Romanian: Biserica cu Sfinți), also the Church with the Sibyls (Biserica cu Sibile), is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 79 Calea Moșilor in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Presentation of Mary. Situated at what was once the edge of the city, the church stands on the site of an earlier one. Probably made of wood, this structure dated to the late 17th century and was established by Popa (priest) Hierea Băjescul, whose name (as “Fierea”) was later used to designate the church and its surroundings; he donated it to the Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia. The nickname involving sibyls arose as these were painted on the exterior; in the 19th century, saints were added as a designation, for similar reasons.The present church was built under Metropolitan Daniil II; according to the pisanie, the interior was painted and the structure finished in 1728. Tradition holds that Prince Nicholas Mavrocordatos, riding through the area with Daniil some two years previous, saw the ruined wooden church and proposed its rebuilding. Repaired in 1819, it was severely damaged by the 1838 earthquake. As part of the repairs, a dome was demolished in 1845 and replaced by a wooden one. The Metropolis stopped upkeep after 1860; the church, in ruins and threatened with demolition, was closed. The present sibyls and prophets on the exterior date to an 1897 renovation. The church was repaired in 1912 and restored in 1931.The cross-shaped church is 21.7 meters long and 7.7 to 8.7 meters wide, reaching 9.3 meters high at the pediment and 19 at the high dome. The portico was added later and is as wide as the narthex. It has three frontal arches and one on each side, inscribed in semicircular vaults. These rest on massive stone columns with simple capitals and bases. The bell tower sits atop the narthex, which has a semi-spherical ceiling. The arches with columns separate the narthex from the nave, above which rests the Christ Pantocrator dome. Both domes, rebuilt later, have square bases, octagonal sides and bell-shaped roofs. The narrow windows on the lower part of the facade feature ornamental frames.The most special feature of the church is the exterior painting, much deteriorated with time. This is found on the upper and lower sections of the facade, separated by a slightly profiled string course. The upper part has pairs of paintings showing ancient philosophers and prophetesses (or sibyls), in red, ochre, black and white. There are nine philosophers and ten sibyls, including, on the north wall, Thucydides and Plato (with crowned head and a scroll in his right hand); on the north and south nave walls, the sibyls Erythraea, Cumaea, Phrygia, Sardica, Cimmeria, Heles, Delphica and Persica, each holding a textual scroll. The south wall depicts Thales (with a book in the right hand and a scroll in the left), Ermis, Aristotle and the Stoics. An icon of the Presentation is painted on the western facade, above the portico; Saints Charalambos and Nicholas are on the sides. Several saints’ icons surround the entrance, as well as images depicting the ktetors.

Saint Mina Vergu Church
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Răzvan Church
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Mântuleasa Church
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Scaune Church
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