Popa Chițu Church
The Popa Chițu Church (
The first church in the vicinity was attested as of 1789–1791. Surrounded by a graveyard and called Popa Petre after a certain priest, it was severely damaged by the 1802 earthquake, although the ruins were left in place until late in the century. A monument on the site of its altar dates to the 1980s. The current church was built in 1813 by two priests, their wives and the shoemakers’ guild. Initially having a single dome and a shingle roof, it was called either after Popa Petre or Popa Chițu, another priest. Dedicated to Saint Spyridon in 1831, it was damaged by the 1838 quake, which cracked the walls but left the ceiling largely intact.[1]
Repairs took place in 1878–1880, when a second dome was added above the narthex, a tin roof was built and the interior was painted. In 1932–1937, while the walls were repaired, Iosif Keber painted frescoes. The mosaic floor, concrete iconostasis with gilt stucco, stained glass and marble panel in the narthex date to that time. The ktetors of this phase are painted on the narthex wall and buried beneath its floor. A thorough restoration of 1975-1980 eliminated mildew, while Keber restored the painting and the exterior was fitted with a row of 91 glass-covered niches painted with saints. The church was re-sanctified in 1980; further upgrades took place in 2001–2003.[1]
Situated on a traffic island, the cross-shaped church measures 23.5 meters long by 7.5-11.3 meters wide. It has circular apses and a
The church is listed as a
Notes
- ^ a b c Stoica and Ionescu-Ghinea, pp. 222-23
- ^ (in Romanian) Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Municipiul București Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
References
- Lucia Stoica and Neculai Ionescu-Ghinea, Enciclopedia lăcașurilor de cult din București, vol. I. Bucharest: Editura Universalia, 2005, ISBN 973-7722-12-4