St. Silvester Church

About

St. Sylvester's Church (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Silvestru) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 36 Silvestru Street in the Moșilor quarter of 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...