The most beautiful religious buildings West

It's the city's landmark building. Of neo-Byzantine and neo-Romanesque inspiration, the Orthodox cathedral was built between 1936 and 1946 and can accommodate 5,000 standing worshippers. Its monumental appearance is impressive: 63 m long, 35 m wide, 80 m high. The ochre and yellow of the brick and the green and gold of the tiles form an elegant color combination. Its bells, each weighing 8 tonnes, were cast from rare metals from Sumatra and Borneo. Inside, the icons are superb. Some are on display in a basement museum.

It was built according to the plans of the Austrian architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach (1693-1742). Begun in 1736, work was interrupted by the plague epidemic and the cathedral was not completed until 1774. In the shape of a cross, it mixes classical influences and baroque decorations. The two altars bring a rococo touch to the whole. In 1849, the building was severely damaged and the last restorations took place in 1981-1982. The arrangement of the vaults gives the place an excellent acoustics, suitable for organ concerts.

15 km southwest of Arad, it is one of the oldest monasteries in all Romania, first mentioned in 1177 under the name of Hvdust. In the course of its eventful history, it was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241, rebuilt next to the old monastery at the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th century. Heavily damaged during the Ottoman occupation, the place was gradually restored and then rebuilt in the 17th century with the addition of a Baroque style dome. The monastery has several icons (15th-18th century) and valuable manuscripts.

Built between 1752 and 1780, this cathedral is the largest Baroque religious building in Romania (78 by 40 meters). The facades are covered in Carrara marble, the influence of the Italian architect who carried out the construction project. Some of the interior paintings date back to the time of its construction, such as those on the superb dome; others were added in the ^19th and ^20th centuries. Also noteworthy are the great organs. A simple cathedral until 1991, Pope John Paul II promoted it to basilica status that year.

Built between 1784 and 1790, this Orthodox church known as "à la Lune"(biserica cu Lună) combines Baroque elements with neoclassical touches. At 55 m high, its bell tower dominates the square. Its interiors are well worth a visit, not least for their grandiose ^19th-century illuminated paintings. Installed on the façade in 1793, the astronomical clock features an ingenious mechanism: a large sphere, painted half black and half gold, follows the rotation of the moon around the Earth, representing the different phases of the star.

Situated on the banks of the river, this imposing cubic synagogue in an eclectic style, topped by a large silver dome, was erected from 1877 onwards by reformist Jews. It's the biggest in the city. Its interior walls are covered with coloured geometric patterns of Moorish inspiration. The synagogue, recently restored, has become a space dedicated to culture.

The Orthodox synagogue (strada Mihai Viteazul 4), built in 1890 in an eclectic style with many Moorish elements, reopened in 2018 after renovation.

Built between 1862 and 1865, to plans by Viennese architect Ignaz Schumann, it features an eclectic style, using elements of Moorish architecture, in vogue at the time. Its facade, framed by two massive towers, is covered in exposed brick and ceramic tiles. The grandeur of the building is a reminder that, at the turn of the century, Timișoara had a very large Jewish population: it numbered over 12,000, compared with a few hundred today. Most emigrated to Israel under Ceaușescu.

Built at the same time as the Catholic Cathedral, it rises on the other side of piața Unirii, to which it has its back. Its facade faces Ungurianu street. The building, which blends Baroque and classical styles, returned to the Serbian community after its separation from the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1865. The adjoining Episcopal Palace, the seat of the Serbian Orthodox bishopric, also dates from the 18th century, but its façade was rebuilt in 1905 in a neo-Serbian style.