Saint Lazarus Church, Iași

About

Saint Lazarus Church (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Lazăr) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 1 Dimitrie Gusti Street in Iași, Romania. It is dedicated to Lazarus of Bethany and to Catherine of Alexandria. The first church on the site was built of wood in 1703-1704 and was dedicated to Lazarus.

Its ktitor was Prince Mihai Racoviță. Located near the princely customs house and close to Racoviță's family homes, it was situated atop a hill which at the time adjoined the eastern edge of the city. Its location gave it the nickname of Customs House Church (Biserica de la Vamă).

It is mentioned in the chronicle of Ion Neculce, and in several documents of the 18th century. The church was burned by the Ottomans. It was rebuilt in brick, on a stone foundation, in 1785, the new ktitors being Sandu and Luca Grigorie.

The same year, it was turned into a monastery dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre. Greek monks moved in, building residences and cells on the ruins of the Racoviță properties. The Greeks also brought relics of Saint Charalambos, Theodore Stratelates and a Saint Michael; these are kept today in the nave, in a silvered box with Greek inscriptions.

There is a piece of the True Cross in...