Metropolitan Cathedral, Banat

Metropolitan Cathedral - details and images

The architectural style of the cathedral is both unique and unusual for such an Orthodox place of worship. It combines the Romanian religious tradition with the Byzantine-Moldavian one. The style, with grooves beneath the eaves, with vaults stellated inside, with discs lacquered in a multitude of colors, can be found in monasteries such as Cozia or Prislop, typical of the fourteenth century.
The cathedral seen from behind
The cathedral has no less than 11 towers of which the main tower is 83.7 meters. The foundation is built on a huge plate of reinforced concrete, which is supported by over 1,000 reinforced concrete pillars, stuck up to 20 m deep under the concrete plate. The construction has a length of 63 m and a width of 32 m. The 7 bells have a total weight of 8,000 kg and were made from a material brought from the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Their harmonization was done by the composer Sabin Drăgoi. The interior and exterior paintings were executed by the painter Atanasie Demian.
The Metropolitan Cathedral houses a rich collection of old Banat church art and a valuable collection of icons. Also here are the relics of Saint John the New from Partos, the protector of the Romanian Orthodox from Banat, former Orthodox bishop of Timisoara (1651 - 1655), who came from Mount Athos and then retired to the monastery from Partos. The museum holds 3,000 rare church books, over 800 icons and paintings, over 130 church objects, 10 precious metal artifacts, 10 vestments, a temple, etc. Here you can find early Romanian manuscripts such as the "New Testament from Bălgrad" from 1648 or "Cazania from Varlaam" from 1643. The side of the basement from the altar comprises the necropolis of the Metropolitan of Banat.

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