Merchants' Church

About

The Merchants' Church (Romanian: Biserica Negustori) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 5 Teodor Ștefănescu Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The oldest mention of a church on the site dates to 1665; the structure was of wood, with a bell tower.

Its roof was of thatch or frame, and the entire church was destroyed by a 1718 fire that ravaged the city center. Under the supervision of Župan Simion Cupețul, it was rebuilt of brick between 1721 and 1726, dates recorded by the pisanie, and was painted by Pârvu Mutu and his apprentices. The 1802 earthquake damaged the structure, with an 1819 document mentioning its “very bad shape”.

The 1838 earthquake provoked further damage, leading to its closure for a year. In 1839, High Agha Manuil Serghiad repaired it with his own money, so that he is considered a second ktetor. Radical repairs took place in 1867-1870, when the two domes were built of wood and tin, in an academic style with Classic Revival touches.

The frame roof was replaced with tin. In 1888, Mayor Pache Protopopescu, whose father had been the parish priest, led efforts to enclose the portico with French windows, enlarge the side windows and hire...