Places in Bucharest - Stavropoleos Church
Stavropoleos Church (Stavropoleos Street - the Historical Center) was built in 1724 by a greek monk - Ioanichie - in a suburb that was known as the Greeks' Slum. Yes, at that time the place was more like a suburb... and there was also a very common practice to build large inns around the churches to bring more money.
So was this religious monument part of a larger complex of inns, cellars, small stores and so on. The Stavropoleos Church was carefully taken care of by "Kir Ioanichie" up to 1741 when he died. From that moment on, the church was left to ruin - an earthquake damaged it severely, the tower fell and eventually it became a mount of stones.
It was only in 1904(!) that the church was reconstructed by the famous Romanian architect Ion Mincu. He also had in plan another building to remind of the old inn in Greeks' Slum. In-between the wars the place was kept as merely historical monument and was brought back in religius service in 1940.
Presently constant effort is being made to restore and maintain the building which is considered one of the most valuable constructions reminiscent of the old "Brancovenesc" architecture style. The inner yard was refurbished in 2003 - the cost was only $30.000. The surfaces are being cleaned and whitened with laser - it is the only way to keep the stone intact.
Inside the church there is a fine collection of old religious books and objects, some of them "saved" from other churches and monsteries that were demolished in the communist years. Oh, and... there are 6 nuns in service right now, still waiting for the day when Stavropoleos will regain its status as a monastery. The paintings inside and outside the church are considered to be unique and the Stavropoleos Church Choir is renowned all over the world.
Visitors can spend a couple of quiet hours in the church yard and also visit it every day between 8h30 and 18h00.
The address is: Str. Stavropoleos no. 4, sector 3, Bucuresti, Tel +40 21 313 4747
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