Iași Metropolitan Cathedral

What makes it special

Start outside, on the western wall above the entrance. A semicircular mosaic of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple fills the arch, with a carved relief of Saint George beside it.

Then look at the roof. The Viennese architect Gustave Freywald planned a central dome, but the church was built with four vaults divided by cross arches instead, so the four lateral towers stand at its sides and nothing rises in the middle.

Inside, the scale is that of a Western cathedral, built to hold more than 3,000 worshippers. Gheorghe Tătărescu painted the walls and icons, keeping to Orthodox rules but in a Renaissance manner, and the light comes through stained glass made in Munich.

The iconostasis, the screen of icons in front of the altar, is carved from linden wood and covered in gold leaf, worked with acanthus stems, flowers and leaves. Look for the two 16th century icons kept in the church, one of Christ Pantocrator and one of the Madonna and Child.

The relics of Saint Parascheva lie under a canopy on the right-hand side of the nave. They were brought here from the Three Hierarchs Monastery in 1889, two years after the cathedral opened.

Visiting

Iași Metropolitan Cathedral stands at the centre of the Metropolitan Ensemble, with the older Saint George Church toward the boulevard and the Metropolitan Palace to the south. The church is free to enter, and you should come modestly dressed. Check on site whether the museum charges.

Services run every day from 6.45 to 12.30 and again from 15.50 to 19.00, and visiting hours vary with them and with feasts. If a liturgy is under way, stand at the back, keep quiet and do not cross the nave. Take in the iconostasis from the back, then walk up to the canopy with the relics.

Finish below ground in the Metropolitan Museum, set out in seven themed halls in the cathedral's basement. It opens from 10.00 to 17.00, so check its posted days before you go and pair the church and the museum on one of them.

Tips

Services are held at five altars across the Metropolitan Ensemble, so the courtyard can fill as well as the nave.

The church keeps two more dedication days besides Saint Parascheva's: the Presentation of the Lord in early February and Saint George's day in late April. Plan around them if you want a quiet nave, or come for the service if you want to see the church full.