| Cathedral of the Holy Trinity | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Romanian Orthodox Church |
| District | Archdiocese of Alba Iulia |
| Province | Metropolis of Transylvania |
| Rite | Byzantine |
| Year consecrated | 1922, 2008 |
| Location | |
| Location | Alba Iulia,Romania |
 Interactive map of Cathedral of the Holy Trinity | |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Victor Gheorghe Ștefănescu |
| Style | Neo-Byzantine layout,Neo-Brâncovenesc elements |
| Groundbreaking | 1921 |
| Completed | 1922 |
| Specifications | |
| Height (max) | 40 m |
| Spire | Three |
| Materials | Stone |
TheCoronation Cathedral (Romanian:Catedrala Încoronării), dedicated to theHoly Trinity and theHoly ArchangelsMichael andGabriel, is aRomanian Orthodox cathedral located at 16 Mihai Viteazul Street,Alba Iulia,Romania. Built soon after and in commemoration of theUnion of Transylvania with Romania, it is the seat of theRomanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Alba Iulia.
The cathedral and surrounding buildings were raised in the western part of theAlba Iulia Citadel, on the site of agatehouse near the Roman Plateau. It was thought of as a continuation of the former metropolitan seat at Alba Iulia (then calledBălgrad), whereMichael the Brave built a stone church in 1597. When the citadel was rebuilt in its current form in 1713–1714, theHabsburg authorities demolished this and its materials were used to build a new church near where the railway station is today. A wooden memorial church in the southeastern part of the citadel marks the site of the former metropolitan cathedral.[1]
Built in 1921–1922, the cathedral was ready in time for the coronation of KingFerdinand and QueenMarie as monarchs ofGreater Romania on October 15, 1922. This event, which took place in the same city where theUnion of Transylvania with Romania occurred on December 1, 1918, was meant to give the union added symbolic and religious weight.[1][2] Ferdinand, a Roman Catholic, objected to being crowned inside an Orthodox church, so the coronation ceremony was held outside in the courtyard.[3] In commemoration of the event, busts of the king and queen were placed on the grounds in 2008.[4]
The cathedral forms part of a group of buildings erected beginning in the late 19th century in the national style promoted byIon Mincu andPetre Antonescu,[1][2] incorporating traditional forms ofRomanian architecture, in particular theBrâncovenesc style, and adapting them to modern tastes. The plan, an inscribedGreek cross, draws upon theTârgovişte Princely Church.[2] Similarly, the exterior decorative elements, such as niches, beads about the columncapitals andarcades, as well as the domes, resemble those found inWallachian churches from the time ofMatei Basarab andConstantin Brâncoveanu. The interior fresco painting, byCostin Petrescu and his apprentices, follows the dictates of traditionalByzantine Orthodoxiconography while exhibiting Western influences.[1][2][5]
The entrance to the building has an open porch with large arches supported by columns with capitals. The portal is decorated with traditional motifs, and above it are mosaic icons of the archangelsMichael andGabriel, while one side of the entrance has icons of SaintsPeter andPaul and the other of KingsDavid andSolomon. The porch's niches have marble plates commemorating four events: MetropolitanSimion Ştefan printing the first Romanian-languageNew Testament in 1648; the union of the three Romanian principalities achieved by Michael the Brave in 1600; the execution ofHorea, Cloşca and Crişan in 1785; and the merger of theRomanian Greek-Catholic Church into the Orthodox Church in 1948,[1] an act forced by the new Communist regime, supported at the time by the Orthodox Church but denounced as unlawful by Greek-Catholics.[6] Also during that period, the authorities had the edifice's name changed toCatedrală Reîntregirii Neamului ("Cathedral of the Unity of the People") in order to minimize associations with the abolishedmonarchy, but the "Coronation Cathedral" name staged somewhat of a comeback following the1989 fall of the regime.[4][7]
One special feature are the paintings of historical figures or individuals who played a role in local religious life. Paintings of thektitor of the first metropolitan church in Bălgrad, Michael the Brave, and of his wifeLady Stanca appear in thenarthex.[2] The tall nave is dominated by a cupola painted with the image ofChrist Pantocrator and held up by four octagonal columns coated inMoneasa marble.[1][5] The western wall of the nave has paintings of clerics from the time when the cathedral was built:Nicolae Bălan,Metropolitan of Transylvania, andMiron Cristea,Patriarch of All Romania, as well asvotive portraits of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie.[1][2] The altarapse is painted with theTheotokos and scenes from theBible. There are three octagonal spires, each lighted by eight windows, with anonion dome roof and a metal cross on top.[5]
In front of the carved and painted oakiconostasis and adjacent to the triumphal arch, there are large portraits of former Metropolitans of TransylvaniaIlie Iorest andSava Brancovici, as well as of the monksVisarion Sarai andSofronie of Cioara, and themartyrOprea Miclăuş ofSălişte, all of whom werecanonized in the cathedral in 1955. A pair of thrones inscribed with royal symbols was placed beside the iconostasis during the solemn coronation service.[1][2][5] In addition to the iconostasis, the furniture andchoir are also oak and decorated with Brâncovenesc motifs.[5]
The cathedral lies on a rectangular lot which has fourpavilions, one in each corner, linked bygalleries that recall those found in monasteries, formed of open double arcades held up by columns.[1][2] Some of the columns haveCorinthian capitals with Brâncovenesc touches.[5] The larger, eastern pavilions house the archdiocesan residence and administration. The smaller, western ones are used by those who run the building and grounds. The 58 m-high bell tower, with the entrance to the complex beneath it, lies between the western pavilions.[1][5] From the early 1920s until 1948, the cathedral was the headquarters of theDiocese of the Romanian Army.[8] It is now the seat of theArchdiocese of Alba Iulia, which has held this rank since 1998, having previously been a diocese since 1975.[1][2] The building was renovated in 1993, the 75th anniversary of the 1918 Union.[5]
46°04′06″N23°34′11″E / 46.068448°N 23.569821°E /46.068448; 23.569821