Zlătari Church

About

The Zlătari Church (Romanian: Biserica Zlătari) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 12 Calea Victoriei in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Nativity of Mary. Reportedly, the first church on the site was built in the mid-17th century, likely of wood, and is mentioned in a 1667 document.

Legend has it that the founders were zlătari, gold or silversmiths. The 1709 pisanie was lost in 1850, but a likely apocryphal record of its Greek text was preserved. According to this source, a new church was built in 1705, with Spătar Mihail Cantacuzino as ktetor.

He generously endowed the monastery with stores and estates, making it among the wealthiest in the country during the 18th century. In 1709, when Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos Palladas visited the court of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, the monastery, and its surrounding inn were subordinated to his church. The church suffered severe damage during the 1802 and 1838 earthquakes, and was entirely rebuilt starting in 1850, as recorded by the 1860 pisanie, also in Greek; reportedly, Xavier Villacrosse was the architect.

The interior painting, dating to 1853–1856, was done by Gheorghe Tattarescu, and features...