Stavropoleos Monastery

Stavropoleos Monastery is a small Orthodox church and convent on Strada Stavropoleos in the Old Town of Bucharest, Romania, a short walk from the CEC Palace. It was founded in 1724 by Ioanikie Stratonikeas, a Greek monk from Stavropolis in Anatolia, who built an inn and church here under the patronage of the Wallachian prince Nicolae Mavrocordat. The church is regarded as one of the finest examples of the Brancovan style, a Romanian blend of Byzantine, Renaissance, Ottoman and Baroque elements named for Prince Constantin Brancoveanu. Its carved stone portico, with slender columns and delicate floral and vegetal relief, is the best-known feature and is often photographed. Inside, the small nave holds an original carved wooden iconostasis, 18th-century mural painting and a collection of icons. The inn and original monastery buildings were demolished in 1900 because of their poor state, and the church itself was damaged during the earthquakes of 1940 and 1977. Restoration campaigns in the 20th century repaired the church, and the ensemble was rebuilt around it, with a new building housing a library and a museum of old ecclesiastical books, icons and liturgical objects, many of them donated or collected by the community. The courtyard contains lapidary pieces, including old tombstones and carved architectural fragments from demolished churches. Today the convent is inhabited by nuns, whose choir performs Byzantine chant at services and in occasional concerts. The compact interior and peaceful courtyard contrast sharply with the bars of the surrounding Lipscani district. Visitors are asked to dress modestly, remain quiet during services and avoid photography of worshippers. The church is not a formal museum, so interpretation is limited, but the library and exhibition rooms give context on the Greek and Romanian religious culture that shaped Bucharest in the early 18th century.