A memorial cross was blessed on Tuesday near the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest on the site of the former “Spirea Veche” Church, which was demolished during the communist regime.
The blessing service was officiated by Archimandrite Nectarie Șofelea, Exarch of the Monasteries of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
According to a press release, the monument was erected by the PEACE-FIRST ROMANIA Group in the Romanian Parliament as a moral act of reparation.
The Spirea Veche Church
The church, which gave its name to an entire district of Bucharest, was built by the Greek physician Spirea (Spyridon Kristofi) before 1765, with the assistance of his relative Christofi, on land belonging to the Metropolis of Wallachia.
Military personnel used to take their oath at the Dealul Spirii Church. In 1921, the original church was replaced with a larger building.
The church’s architect, Professor Ion D. Traianescu, designed it in the form of a basilica with an inscribed Greek-cross plan, structured around strong reinforced concrete pillars approximately one metre thick, while the side apses had a rectangular layout. It stood in the south-western area of what is now the Palace of Parliament.
The church was demolished in 1984, together with the nearby “Life-Giving Spring” Church, in order to make way for the construction of the House of the People under the communist regime.
Several items were saved following the demolition, including stained-glass windows, choir stalls and the patronal icon of Saint Spyridon. These were transferred to Lucaci – Saint Stylianos Church in Bucharest.
Photo: Facebook / Ninel Peia
