Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Catedrala Patriahală; Str Dealul Mitropoliei; 7am-8pm)
From the centre of Piaţa
Unirii, look southwest to the Patriarchal Cathedral, the centre of Romanian Orthodox
faith, built between 1656 and 1658. It triumphantly peeks over once-grand housing blocks
on B-dul Unirii designed to 'hide' Bucharest's churches. One such fatality is the Antim
Monastery, which dates from 1715. It's northwest, just one block before the boulevard
ends.
St Apostles' Church
(Biserica Sfinţii Apostoli;
Click here
;
Str Apostoli 33a; 7am-8pm)
Tiny St Apostles'
Church, north of B-dul Unirii (west of the Piaţa Unirii), survived Ceauşescu's 1980s de-
molition project - to a degree. The church, built in 1636, was not moved, but the sur-
rounding parkland was ripped up and replaced with blocks of flats. It's overgrown, with
trees and near-abandoned buildings.
CHURCH
Antim Monastery
(Mânăstirea Antim;
Click here
;
Str Antim; 7am-8pm)
This beautiful walled complex
was built in 1715 by the metropolitan bishop Antim Ivireanu. Today it's hidden by
communist-era housing blocks.
MONASTERY
CHURCH
Princess Bălaşa Church
(Biserica Domniţa Bălaşa;
Click here
;
Str Sfintii Apostoli; 7am-8pm)
Another im-
pressive church that survived the 1980s demolition is the candy-striped Princess Bălaşa
Church. The church, just northwest of Piaţa Unirii, is named after Wallachian Prince Con-
stantin Brâncoveanu's sixth daughter, who had a small wooden church built here in 1744
that was rebuilt over the years to the 19th-century structure that stands today.
Prince Mihai Monastery
(Mânăstirea Mihai Vodă;
Click here
;
Str Sapienţei)
The former symbol of Bucharest, the
16th-century Prince Mihai Monastery was built from 1589 to 1591 under the orders of
Mihai Viteazul (r 1593-1601). Ceauşescu moved it 279m east in 1985 to this patch of
wasteland between apartment blocks.
MONASTERY
