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Unlike the hidden churches in Nicolae Ceaușescu’s horrible urban redevelopment project, the churches in the Old Town of Bucharest remain in the open and easy to find. There are five of note that I visited.
Church of St. Anthony
The oldest church in Old Town is the princely church, Church of St. Anthony (Biserica Sfântul Anton), located next to the Old Princely Court. It was built in 1559 by Mircea Ciobanul, a three time Voivode of Wallachia. He’s buried inside the church.
Stavropoleos Church
The most impressive building I found in the Old Town is the Stavropoleos Church. It’s an Orthodox church built in 1724 under the rule of Nicholas Mavrocordato, a Phanariot of Chian descent. This tiny church is part of a monastery that contains over 8,000 books on theology, Byzantine music, art, and history.
It’s the most beautiful church in Bucharest and has many well-preserved icons and frescoes inside and out.
St. Dimitri Church
Behind the National History Museum and a block south of the Stavropoleos Church is another old church, St. Dimitri Church (Biserica Sfântul Dumitru). The current church was built in 1819 but can trace its history back to the 14th century.
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
An interesting church in the north part of the Old Town is St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, which was commissioned in 1909 by Tsar Nicholas II. It’s known as the Student’s Church.
St. Nicholas Church
Nearby is the St. Nicholas Church (Biserica Sfântul Nicolae), dating back to the 17th century.
