CATEDRALA CONSTANTIN ŞI ELENA

In the heart of the city, near the Andrieș park and the Alecu Russo University, this white stone cathedral was built in 1934-1935 by architects Adrian Gabrilescu and Andrei Ivanov. It can be identified by its beautiful blue colour. Its monumental architecture (46 m high) combines the neo-Romanian style with traditional elements of the Moldavian and Byzantine styles. Its columned porch is surmounted by a balcony with columns where bells are hung. Two beautiful mosaics decorate the pediment. A small building in the courtyard has a dome that represents the Byzantine style, while the fine and elegant columns that support it characterize the Moldavian style. This cathedral is distinguished by its sumptuousness; it owes its interior and exterior paintings to some of the most renowned Italian, Hungarian and Romanian painters of the time. The consecration ceremony of the cathedral on 2 June 1935 saw the presence of King Carol II of Romania and his son Prince Michael.

During the Soviet era, it was closed by the authorities in 1961 and became the city's history museum. Many icons were lost, a valuable candelabrum disappeared, priceless frescoes were destroyed because they were covered with lime. The cathedral will be restored and reopened as an Orthodox place of worship in 1990. The cathedral is depicted on a 10 bani stamp issued in 1996 by the Moldavian postal service. A small park surrounds the cathedral.