Nativity Cathedral, Chișinău

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Lord (Romanian Catedrala Nasterea Domnului; Russian Собор Рождества Христова ) is a church building in the Moldovan capital Chisinau. It is the seat of Metropolitan Moldovan Orthodox Church.

History

The cathedral was built in the years 1830-1836 as the most important church of the city, on the initiative of the Metropolitan of Bessarabia Gavril Bănulescu -Bodoni. The architect Avraam Melnikov was ( 1784-1854 ). The Cathedral was dedicated on 13 October 1838.

In June 1941 it was badly affected by the bombing of the Second World War. The restoration began in September of the following year. At the restoration of the wall paintings of Romanian artist Jean Alexandru Steriadi was involved. The restoration was completed only in the 1950s.

In the night of 22 to 23 December 1962, the bell tower was blown up on behalf of the Municipality of Chisinau. In the building of the cathedral no more worship services were held now, instead, it was used as an exhibition hall of the Ministry of Culture of the Moldavian SSR.

The rear dedication as sacred building was carried out in the years 1989 to 1991., It began extensive restoration work. On November 3, 1995 Mircea Ion Snegur President signed a decree to speed up the construction work on the buildings, which were largely completed by 1996. In the same year the foundation stone for a new bell tower was placed, which was completed in 1997. It is slightly different from that which was blown up in 1962. The restoration of the interior of the cathedral is not yet complete.

Location and architecture

The cathedral in the district CENTRU is on an axis with the a little later erected triumphal arch of Chisinau, which forms an upstream gate to the church building. In the church there is the Parcul Catedralei, the " Cathedral Park".

The cathedral is built in the style of Russian classicism of stone and brick. Located respectively colonnades at the four exterior walls. The walls are bright yellow, columns and moldings plastered white. The bell tower is the building in front. In the drum - dome, which received its present hemispherical shape only in the restoration in the 1950s, light penetrates through eight windows.

In the church there are three altars, the main altar is dedicated to the birth of Christ.