Greek Church (Bucharest)

The Olari Church (Romanian: Biserica Olari) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 6 Olari Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. The church is named after the surrounding district, a place where potters (olari) dug for clay, according to a 1752 document. A church, probably of wood, stood nearby in the first half of the 18th century. According to the pisanie, located above the entrance door and written in Romanian Cyrillic, the church was built in 1758. An 1847 plan notes that it was also called Ceauș (doorman) Precup. The church was originally surrounded by walls and cells, which also hosted a school; all these structures were demolished in the late 19th century. In 1836, the church was repaired and modified: the portico was closed, with another small one on two columns added, and the interior was repainted in oil. The tin-coated wooden domes were rebuilt in 1863. An 1869 repainting followed the style of Gheorghe Tattarescu, with a series of framed works.A professional restoration of 1939-1943 replaced the tin with tiles and remade the domes of masonry, like in the original structure; the added plaster was removed, bringing to light the initial form of the portico, with painted columns and arches; the second portico was removed. In 1982-1983, during the systematization of Calea Moșilor ordered by the Nicolae Ceaușescu regime, the church was moved 58 meters, ending up behind a row of apartment blocks. It was re-sanctified and reopened in 1984. The painting was restored in 1994-2002, bringing to light a previously hidden depiction of Abraham.The three-lobed church measures 23 meters long by 6.5 to 13 meters wide, with two octagonal domes on square bases. The portico, with three semicircular arches resting on masonry columns, is enclosed by windows and metal grilles. The columns and archivolts are painted with red, black and brown floral motifs. A simple string course divides the facade into two nearly equal parts. These are decorated with arched recesses, in pairs above, single and larger below. On the entrance facade, above the arches and among the frames, there are three medallions from 1943. These are painted in fresco with the patron feast in the center, flanked by Saints Peter and Paul. A small flower garden surrounds the church.The north apse features an icon of the Virgin Mary; ascribed by some with wonder-working abilities, it is surrounded by 24 depictions of reported miracles. It was brought around 1810 by monks fleeing persecution in Turkey; in 1864, the gilt silver coating was removed and placed on another icon before the royal doors, while a new covering was created for the original. The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

Oborul Vechi Church (Romanian: Biserica Oborul Vechi) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 204 Traian Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saints Joachim and Anna. After the plague that affected Bucharest in 1718–1719, the Serdar Matei Mogoș raised a monumental stone cross some four meters high. It was placed at what was then the edge of the city, near the cattle and grain market (oborul vechi means “the old cattle yard”). In 1768, Metropolitan Grigorie ordered the construction of a small church without apses to shelter the cross inside the altar.Becoming cramped by the early 19th century, the parishioners walled in the old portico, turning it into a narthex, and added side apses. It suffered damage during the 1838 earthquake and was repaired in 1850. A 1938 restoration brought about the current form, including the addition of a small portico with a triangular facade. Additional repairs followed the earthquakes of 1940 and 1977.The cross-shaped church measures 20 meters long by 6.3 to 12 meters wide, with polygonal side apses. The rectangular altar is spacious and high, in order to fit the stone cross, which can be glimpsed through the royal doors. The two octagonal domes sit on square bases atop the nave and narthex; they and the roof are covered in tin. Light enters the balcony through a small round window above the vestibule, above which an icon of the patron saints is placed in a niche. The columns that separated nave from narthex are gone, while traces of the old arched portico remain on the walls. The interior windows are of stained glass and depict saints.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

Foișorul de Foc (literally The Fire Tower) is a 42 metres (138 feet) high building in Bucharest, Romania, between Obor, Calea Moșilor, and Nerva-Traian. It was used in the past as an observation tower by the firemen. It was built in 1890, two years after the previous watchtower, Turnul Colței, built in 1715, was demolished. The plans were made by George Mandrea, back then the chief-architect of Bucharest. Foișorul de Foc had a double role, as it was also designed to be a water tower, too. However, after the building was finished, the local water utility company (Uzina de Apă Grozăvești) had no pumps powerful enough to fill it with water. Foișorul de Foc was used by the firefighters until 1935, when it became ineffective, as more and more high-rise buildings were built in Bucharest, and the introduction of the telephone reduced the need for a watchtower. In 1963, it was turned into a Firefighters' Museum.

Calea Moșilor (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈkale̯a ˈmoʃilor], Moșilor Avenue) is both a historic street and a major road in Bucharest, Romania. It runs from the back of the Cocor Shopping Mall (near Piața Unirii) to Obor. The street is divided into two distinct parts. East of the intersection with Carol I Boulevard the street has two lanes and consists of apartment blocks built during the communist era, while West of the intersection with Carol I Boulevard the street has only one lane and consists of houses built in the 19th century.

Moșilor (literally, Elders) is a residential quarter in Bucharest's Sector 2. It houses the Foișorul de Foc and Silvestru Church. Its name derives from the main avenue Calea Moșilor which in turn is named after a well-known fair held in Obor square (Târgul Moșilor) from the 18th century up to the 1950s. The Moșilor quarter is serviced by tram lines 14, 16 and 21, and the M1 Line through Obor metro station.

The Theodor Pallady Museum is a museum situated in one of the oldest surviving merchant houses in Bucharest, Romania. It includes many works by the well-known Romanian painter Theodor Pallady, as well as a number of European and Oriental furniture pieces. Built in the second half of the 18th century, the house is named after its most illustrious owner, Iacob Melik.

St. Sylvester's Church (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Silvestru) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 36 Silvestru Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God and to Saint Pope Sylvester I. A first church was built on the site before 1743, the date of the pisanie. The ktetors were Župan Pârvu the textile painter and his wife Stanca; it was dedicated to Radu Vodă Monastery. A stone dated 1760 and fixed into the wall of a nearby house mentions the donations made to the church by Stanca. After the 1802 earthquake, the church was repaired by her granddaughter, also called Stanca. It collapsed during the 1838 tremor, and was rebuilt by the following year. The 1839 iconostasis was repaired and gilt in 1930–1935. The detached bell tower, beneath which one passes to Oltarului Street, dates to 1879. The church acquired its current form during the rebuilding and enlargement of 1904–1907. Dimitrie Maimarolu was the architect, while Costin Petrescu painted the interior. The dedication to Saint Sylvester was added in 1925.Measuring 30 meters long by 13.5 meters wide, the imposing church is distinguished by the two spires above the narthex. Their twisted windows recall the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral. A large dome rises above the nave. All three domes have vaulted roofs. The portico resembles a large open baldachin; its columns have Corinthian capitals. The nave has semi-circular apses, suggested on the exterior by a slight bulge. The church sits on a high stone base, and features a finely ornamented facade. Above the portico, there is a row of five windows behind small arches and columns. The nave windows have stained glass without figures, while the facade ones feature icons of saints. The interior has two rows of painted columns decorated with floral motifs and gilt capitals. The two stoves of enameled tile are decorated with religious subjects.In 2002, Patriarch Teoctist brought back relics of the patron saint from the Vatican, giving them as a gift to the parish. The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs. Also listed is the bell tower. Constantin Galeriu, who served as parish priest from 1975, is buried on the grounds.

St. Stephen–Călărași Church (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Ștefan–Călărași) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 83 Calea Călărași in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Stephen. The church was built by the clucer Stoica and completed in 1768, as mentioned on the pisanie. It suffered damage in the 1838 earthquake and was repaired the following year. It burned during the 1847 Great Fire of Bucharest and was again fixed. It underwent restoration in 1915–1916, 1942, after the 1977 earthquake and in 2003. The interior oil painting dates to 1886, and covers the original, which suffered damage in 1847. Fragments of the initial frescoes survive in the portico. The paintings include allusions to two recent events: the military saints George and Demetrius recall the Romanian War of Independence, while the bishop's miters symbolize the autocephaly of the Romanian church.A small church, it measures 19.7 meters long by 7-11 meters wide, reaching 6.7 meters high at the pediment and 13.5 meters at the dome. It forms part of the post-Brâncovenesc current, with a cross shape like most of its contemporaries. It has an open portico, a narthex surmounted by a bell tower, a nave and an altar. The bell tower is one of few surviving examples with its form: octagonal on the exterior, with slender columns on the edges and five small arches above the elongated windows. The portico has three arches on brick columns.The facades are divided into two sections by a brick row. The larger lower portion is decorated with recesses, while the upper features medallions painted with icons of saints, as at the Stavropoleos Monastery. The subjects are Saint Stephen, John the Baptist, Saints Peter and Paul, the Virgin Mary as well as Plato, Aristotle and the sibyls Delphica and Persica, depicted as saints with haloes. These were repainted in 1907. The exterior is decorated with flowers and leaves of various hues. The parish house dates to 1936, while a wooden bell tower is from 2002.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

The Mântuleasa Church (Romanian: Biserica Mântuleasa) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 20 Mântuleasa Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The church is named after the street on which it stands, which in turn derives from a wealthy merchant, Manta, who owned land in the area. It was built by his sister Maria and his wife Stanca, according to the pisanie of 1733. For a time, it was enlarged by closing the portico and adding another in front. The dome, which fell during an earthquake, was provisionally replaced by one of wood. It was restored to its original form between 1924 and 1930.The church is small, 22 meters long by 7.7 to 10 meters wide, with the dome rising to 18 meters. Cross-shaped, it is covered in tin and has a long gutter. The portico has three arches in the main facade and one on each side; these rest on massive cylindrical columns of painted brick. The octagonal dome, with narrow windows, sits on a square base above the elongated narthex. The interior Byzantine frescoes came to light when the walls were washed in 1925. Their color and style places them in the Brâncovenesc period. The masonry facades are divided into two sections by a painted row. An icon of the patron saints sits in a recess above the entrance, flanked by paintings of Saints Nicholas and Stylianos.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, as is the parish house.

Solacoglu Inn (Romanian: Hanul Solacoglu or Hanul Solacolu) improperly called inn, was actually a factory for producing pasta in Bucharest. It is located along Calea Moşilor, a trading avenue that used to make the connection between Bucharest's Inner Town (Romanian Târgul Dinlǎuntru) and the largest marketplace in the town (Obor Marketplace, still in use as of 2006). Its architecture blends traditional outlines with a few Western elements. It was constructed in 1859 for Solacoglu Brothers, merchants from Svishtov, Bulgaria who had settled in Wallachia. In the 1990s the city government evacuated the illegal inhabitants and the bureaucratic process of restoring the building was supposed to begin, but it did not. The building lies nowadays in a bad, ruined state, with its doors and windows blocked off by metal strings bars and plates. During the war of independence from the Ottoman empire 1877. The head of the Bulgarian diaspora lived in the building. The Romanians and Bulgarians were allies in this war of liberation from the Ottomans. Other old inns still standing in Bucharest include Manuc's Inn (Romanian: Hanul lui Manuc), Gabroveni Inn (Romanian: Hanul Gabroveni), and the Lindentree Inn (almost universally known by its Romanian name Hanul cu Tei).

The Armenian Church (Romanian: Biserica Armenească) is an Armenian Apostolic church located at 43 Carol I Boulevard in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The cornerstone was laid in July 1911, and building proceeded according to the plans of architects Dimitrie Maimarolu and Grigore Cerchez, who was of Armenian origin. The design resembles Etchmiadzin Cathedral. Work was completed in September 1915. In the yard, the surrounding complex includes a bishop's residence, a library and diocesan museum, a cultural center, a kindergarten, and the Union of Armenians of Romania headquarters.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, as are the library and the statue of Andranik.

The Popa Chițu Church (Romanian: Biserica Popa Chițu) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 33 Logofătul Luca Stroici Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Spyridon. The first church in the vicinity was attested as of 1789–1791. Surrounded by a graveyard and called Popa Petre after a certain priest, it was severely damaged by the 1802 earthquake, although the ruins were left in place until late in the century. A monument on the site of its altar dates to the 1980s. The current church was built in 1813 by two priests, their wives and the shoemakers’ guild. Initially having a single dome and a shingle roof, it was called either after Popa Petre or Popa Chițu, another priest. Dedicated to Saint Spyridon in 1831, it was damaged by the 1838 quake, which cracked the walls but left the ceiling largely intact.Repairs took place in 1878–1880, when a second dome was added above the narthex, a tin roof was built and the interior was painted. In 1932–1937, while the walls were repaired, Iosif Keber painted frescoes. The mosaic floor, concrete iconostasis with gilt stucco, stained glass and marble panel in the narthex date to that time. The ktetors of this phase are painted on the narthex wall and buried beneath its floor. A thorough restoration of 1975-1980 eliminated mildew, while Keber restored the painting and the exterior was fitted with a row of 91 glass-covered niches painted with saints. The church was re-sanctified in 1980; further upgrades took place in 2001–2003.Situated on a traffic island, the cross-shaped church measures 23.5 meters long by 7.5-11.3 meters wide. It has circular apses and a Pantocrator dome above the nave. The bell tower sits above the narthex. Both domes are octagonal, as are their bases. The western facade ends in a pediment. An open portico sits in front: it features three arches held up by columns of painted masonry, themselves resting on mosaic-coated pedestals as high as the foundation. There are floral patterns between the portico arches, under the main cornice and on the domes. The large windows are semicircular. The interior painting features scenes from the life of Christ; they are done in warm, pale colors, predominantly ocher.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.