Biserica Stavropoleos

The Stavropoleos Church is an Orthodox church, built in Brancoven style, in the center of Bucharest. The shrine of the church is St. Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The name Stavropoleos is the Romanian form of the Greek word Stauropolis, which translates as "City of the Cross".

The church was erected in 1724, during the reign of Nicolae Mavrocordat (ruler of Romania, 1719-1730), by Archimandrite Ioanichie Stratonikeas, originally from Epirus. In the courtyard of his inn, built in 1704, Ioanichie built the church and a monastery, supported economically by the income from the inn (a situation frequently encountered in the era). In 1726 abbot Ioanichie was elected metropolitan of Stavropol and exarch of Caria. The monastery he built has since been called Stavropoleos, after the name of the old seat. On February 7, 1742, Ioanichie, aged 61, dies and is buried in his church.

The inn and the annexes of the monastery were demolished at the end of the 19th century. Over time, the church was affected by earthquakes, which shook the spire until it fell. However, the tower's paintings were restored at the beginning of the 20th century.


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