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Amzei Church

Beaux-Arts architectureChurches completed in 1901Eclectic architectureHistoric monuments in BucharestRomanian Orthodox churches in Bucharest
Amzei Church
Amzei Church

Amzei Church (Romanian: Biserica Amzei) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 12 Biserica Amzei Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Feast of the Annunciation. The original church on the site, a small single-domed structure dedicated to Saint Nicholas, was built between 1807 and 1810. The chief ktetor was the deputy Vistier (treasurer) of Wallachia, Amza Năescu; following his death, the church was nicknamed after him. A list of people to be prayed for (pomelnic) survives, carved in elegant Romanian Cyrillic; it was originally in the altar table and is now in the yard. Prior to 1832, the church was surrounded by cells where a school with two grades for beginners functioned. An 1846 fire destroyed the church; an ample restoration followed. During repairs in 1875, two domes of wood and tin were added. Also that year, a neoclassical stone fountain, partly sculpted, was built on the grounds, near the parish house. The old church was entirely demolished in 1898, on the initiative of the priest. Construction of the present structure, designed by Alexandru Săvulescu, began in July 1898 and was completed in October 1901, as the pisanie records.The imposing cross-shaped church measures 28.7 meters long by 11 to 15.5 meters wide. It is eclectic in style, mainly Beaux-Arts. The exterior ornamentation, of stone and brick, features Romanian Revival touches: rows of brick alternating with masonry, niches beneath the cornice and richly carved string courses. The narthex is somewhat enlarged and there are three spires: a large one above the nave, ending in a spherical cupola and roof lantern; and two smaller ones above the sides of the narthex. The structure sits on a massive stone base some two meters high. There are three entry portals with doors of carved oak; the main one, on the west side, is beneath a trefoil arch. The north and south entrances have fairly deep porticoes with frontal arches. Each of the latter rests on columns with composite capitals, in academic style, and is topped by a sharp pediment. The interior is very high, with natural light entering through stained glass, in addition to three large bronze candelabra. The interior arches and columns are Renaissance Revival.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

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Amzei Church
Strada Biserica Amzei, Bucharest

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N 44.44441 ° E 26.09385 °
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Biserica Ortodoxă "Amzei"

Strada Biserica Amzei 12
010394 Bucharest (Sector 1)
Romania
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Amzei Church
Amzei Church
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Museum of Art Collections
Museum of Art Collections

The Museum of Art Collections (Romanian: Muzeului Colecțiilor de Artă) is a branch of the National Museum of Art of Romania and is situated in Bucharest. It is located on Calea Victoriei no.111 at the corner of Calea Griviței, in Romanit Palace, the first section of which was built in 1822. The museum contains 44 collections donated to the Romanian State beginning with 1927 by the families of: Hurmuz Aznavorian, Dumitru and Maria Ştefănescu, Josefina, and Eugen Taru, Emanoil Romulus Anca and Ortansa Dinulescu Anca, Garabet Avakian, Mircea Petrescu and Artemiza Petrescu, Sandu Lieblich, Sică Alexandrescu, Clara and Anatol E. Baconsky, Sorin Schächter, Céline Emilian, Marcu Beza – Hortensia and Vasile Beza, Alexandra and Barbu Slătineanu, Béatrice and Hrandt Avakian.The collection includes various pieces from Asia and the Middle East, and several pieces by Western European artists (including one drawing by Vincent van Gogh, but the heart of the collection consists of work of late 19th- and 20th-century Romanian artists, including Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu, Ioan Andreescu, Nicolae Tonitza, Gheorghe Petrașcu, Theodor Pallady, Lucian Grigorescu, Iosif Iser, Camil Ressu, Francisc Șirato, Alexandru Ciucurencu, Dimitrie Ghiață, and Corneliu Baba. The museum lapidarium hosts stone carved items of old Romanian art, among which a few pieces extracted from Văcărești Monastery, demolished in 1986 at Nicolae Ceaușescu's order. The museum officially reopened in June 2013.

White Church, Bucharest
White Church, Bucharest

The White Church (Romanian: Biserica Albă) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 110 Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The origins of the church are uncertain, but it probably existed in the late 17th century. It appears to have been founded on an estate of the Văcărescu family. The formal dedication likely occurred around 1700, with one theory suggesting a Văcărescu widow in the role of ktetorissa, while Jupâneasa Vișa and the priest Neagu Dârvaș are seen as likelier candidates. At any rate, the surrounding district and the church itself were nicknamed after the latter two between 1739 and 1835, while the present name became established around 1800. A wooden icon of Saint Nicholas dating to 1701-1702 confirms the church’s existence at that point. A funeral stone fragment from 1715-1716 is situated in the altar table. A restoration took place in 1784, and by 1802 the church was surrounded by monastic cells, demolished during the late-19th century urbanization.Severely damaged by that year’s earthquake, and by the 1808 tremor, it was radically rebuilt in 1827, according to the pisanie. The high Clucer Nicolae Trăsnea, a trusted adviser to Prince Grigore IV Ghica, was responsible, at the same time adding a second dedication, to the Prophet Elijah. Between 1868 and 1873, the church was transformed: the two present domes were built of wood and tin, the portico was added, the facades and interior redone, the roof changed and windows enlarged. Gheorghe Tattarescu painted the interior. Two arches were added to the portico after 1910. The painting underwent maintenance during the 20th century, with an ample restoration occurring in 1961. The building was consolidated following the 1977 earthquake.The single-nave church measures 30.3 meters long by 9.6 meters wide, with a semicircular altar apse. The two domes are octagonal on square bases: the Pantocrator dome above the nave, and the bell tower rising above the narthex. The portico is on the west side; shorter than the nave, it is open, has three frontal arches resting on masonry columns, with a triangular pediment. The narthex is just two meters deep, the result of installing a wall in 1871-1873. The nave is spacious, with a spherical ceiling. The altar has two deep niches for the tables, dug into the wall. The linden wood iconostasis is a valuable work of Brâncovenesc style sculpture. The exterior is covered in plaster; it is Neoclassical in style, with Doric inspiration visible in the pilasters, frieze and serrated cornice.George Călinescu wrote: “the White Church is not beautiful, but it surprises through its immaculate white of a rural church in the heart of a large city”. Other observers who have remarked on the building include Gheorghe Ionescu-Gion, Nicolae Iorga, Gheorghe Crutzescu and Nicolae Vătămanu. The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.