Kretzulescu Church

Kretzulescu Church, or Biserica Kretzulescu, is a small brick Orthodox church at Calea Victoriei 47 in Sector 1 of Bucharest, Romania, next to Revolution Square and the National Museum of Art. It was built in 1722 by Iordache Cretulescu, a chancellor under Prince Nicolae Mavrocordat, and his wife Safta, a daughter of Constantin Brancoveanu, and it is a refined example of the Brancovan style. The church has an unusual stepped plan with a portico, a central dome and decorative brick courses. Damage from the earthquakes of 1802 and 1838 and from the fires of the 19th century led to repairs, and a major restoration in 1859-1860 and another in the 1930s reshaped parts of the building. The church was heavily damaged by bombing in 1944 and again during the fighting around the square in December 1989, and it was then restored. Interior painting is the work of Gheorghe Tattarescu, a leading Romanian painter of the 19th century, who painted the interior between 1859 and 1860, and a later restoration in the 1930s and the 1990s completed the decoration. The exterior brick and the modest scale contrast with the monumental buildings around it. Because the site is a working Orthodox church, visitors are expected to behave quietly and dress modestly. The church sits within a small garden area just off the square, and it is easy to include in a historical walk that links the Athenaeum, the Royal Palace and the Memorial of Rebirth. The church forms part of the Bucharest Orthodox Archdiocese ensemble and is treated as a historic monument. Interpretation is minimal, so a guidebook or local guide helps visitors understand the church's role in the city's history.