{"id":544818,"date":"2025-10-21T18:04:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T15:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=544818"},"modified":"2025-10-23T11:06:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T08:06:07","slug":"modern-engineering-and-aesthetic-metalwork-in-the-national-cathedral-pdf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/modern-engineering-and-aesthetic-metalwork-in-the-national-cathedral-pdf\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern Engineering and Aesthetic Metalwork in the National Cathedral (pdf)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five days before the consecration of the painting of Romania’s National Cathedral, Basilica.ro<\/a> publishes the last leaflet in the series prepared by the Archdiocese of Bucharest for this occasion. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This edition focuses on several technical aspects related to the construction process, without exhausting the many challenges that engineers had to overcome through technical innovation and the use of heavy machinery. Among them were: reducing the oscillation risk during a maximum-intensity earthquake from 120 cm to only 30 cm, since the building could not be segmented with settlement joints<\/a>; using a 600-tonne crane to install the cross atop the main tower; using 45,000 cubic metres<\/a> of interior scaffolding, which required three weeks to dismantle.<\/p>\n

Please find below the French, Italian and Greek translations of the text.<\/p>\n

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Modern Engineering and Aesthetic Metalwork in the National Cathedral<\/h1>\n

The construction of the National Cathedral was not only a vast spiritual project but also a demonstration of engineering strength and artistic mastery.<\/p>\n

From colossal structures to delicate details, metal has marked both the building phases and the interior architecture of this holy place. Although often perceived as a cold and industrial material, in the hands of the craftsman and under the vision of the artist, metal can become a bearer of warmth and spiritual meaning.<\/p>\n

Temporary interior scaffolding to paint the main tower\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Interior scaffolding used to paint in mosaic the main tower of Romania’s National Cathedral. Photo: George Ioni\u021b\u0103<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An important chapter in the building of the Cathedral was the temporary metal scaffolding<\/em> erected inside the main dome \u2013 the Pantocrator<\/em> Dome, which His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has called the \u201ctower of prayer\u201d, being the highest point of the church edifice, from which prayers rise to God.<\/p>\n

Seen from below, the structure created a tall passage in the form of a cross, symbolising the ascent of prayer to the highest point of the Cathedral. This scaffolding was necessary for the installation, at a height of 106 metres, of the icon of our Saviour the Almighty.<\/p>\n

For six months, artists worked from this scaffolding to assemble 2,400 kilograms of mosaic pieces, brought from Italy, which together compose a work of over 150 square metres. The subsequent dismantling of the scaffolding revealed the iconographic representation of the countenance of the Saviour.<\/p>\n

TECU-GOLD:<\/em><\/strong> Special copper alloy for the roof<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The domes and roof are clad with almost 20,000 square metres of sheets made of a special copper alloy<\/em><\/a>, commercially known as TECU-GOLD<\/em>, one of the most durable roofing systems in the world. It fulfils the conditions of versatility and technological application to ensure a lifespan of hundreds of years, requiring only very rare interventions, especially given the height of the roof.<\/p>\n

The cross on the main tower weighs 7 tons\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The 7-metre high cross atop Romania’s National Cathedral, recently built in Buchares,t weighs 7 tons. Photo: Ziarul Lumina \/ Mihnea P\u0103duraru<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the exterior, atop the main dome, at a height of about 130 metres, a metal cross<\/em> was mounted in April 2025, measuring 7 metres in height and weighing 7 tonnes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This was an operation of extreme complexity, requiring a year and a half of planning, and employing a special crawler crane with a capacity of 600 tonnes and a boom of 147 metres with a 12-metre extension.<\/p>\n

Vertical accesibility for disabled persons<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Like all great cathedrals, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Nation, or the National Cathedral built in Bucharest, Romania, will also have a panoramic viewpoint, accessible from the inside with elevators and pathways adapted for people with disabilities. Photo: Ziarul Lumina \/ Luigi Ivanciu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To facilitate access to the different levels of the edifice, the Cathedral is equipped with interior galleries, staircases, and eight modern lifts. These provide fluid vertical circulation, particularly for elderly persons or people with disabilities.<\/p>\n

A metal helical staircase<\/em> provides access to the exterior walkway at the +91-metre level \u2013 a panoramic balcony (Belvedere<\/em>) encircling the dome of the main tower, offering a unique view over Bucharest, a feature also found in the great cathedrals of Europe.<\/p>\n

The chandeliers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The central chandelier is 7 meters in diameter. Photo: Basilica.ro \/ Raluca Ene<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The interior lighting is ensured by a series of monumental chandeliers<\/a>, produced by the Austrian company Orion Group<\/em>. Those in the apses measure 6 metres in diameter, while the principal chandelier, mounted in the Pantocrator<\/em> Dome, reaches 7 metres.<\/p>\n

They are crafted from solid brass (with steel connecting elements), a traditional material for sacred objects, valued for its noble appearance and durability. Their design, with angels bearing three lamps each, represents the Church illumined by the grace of the Holy Trinity.<\/p>\n

Liturgical objects<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The tabernacle replicating the National Cathedral, crafted in the Workshops of the Romanian Patriarchate, remained upon the Holy Altar after the 2018 consecration,until the last pilgrim passed through the sanctuary, in accordance with a Romanian Orthodox tradition observed at church consecrations. Photo: Basilica.ro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the Workshops of the Romanian Patriarchate, the liturgical objects<\/em> required for the Cathedral have been fashioned from precious metal: the large tabernacle made after the model of the National Cathedral, sets of holy vessels, crosses, candlestands, Gospel books, as well as the reliquary housing the holy relics of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the Protector of Romania.<\/p>\n

The silver oil lamps, each weighing 9 kilograms, were executed in repouss\u00e9, with Br\u00e2ncovenesque decorative motifs.<\/p>\n

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Download the leaflet in *pdf format here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Please see all leaflets in 4 languages here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n
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Donate<\/h1>\n
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The monumental dimensions of the mosaics are easily visible in this image from the consecration of the National Cathedral altar on November 25, 2018. The mosaic painting work will continue after the consecration on October 26, 2025, as there still remains an area almost as large to be covered as the one completed so far. Photo: Basilica.ro (archive)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n