Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral
One of Romania's loveliest cathedrals, the 83m (272-ft.) towering Catedrala Mitropolitana Ortodoxa adds color to the skyline at the southern end of Piata Victoriei; combining neo-Byzantine and Moldavian architectural elements, its brick walls are an ornate patchwork of ocher and yellow bands, while the colored mosaic-style shingles on the turreted spires create dynamic geometric patterns. It's a young church (built 1936-46), but the atmosphere generated by its strong associations with the 1989 Revolution complements the somber spirituality of the interior, dominated by three gigantic chandeliers that float above the regular stream of worshippers. Since 1956, the cathedral has held the relics of St. Joseph the New (in a box to the right of the entrance). Joseph, the patron saint of the Banat, was born in Dalmatia in 1568 and became Metropolitan of Timisoara in 1658; he apparently had the gift of prophesy and could perform miracles, bringing on the rains which quelled a great fire that once threatened the city. In the basement, there's a museum (with irregular hours), exhibiting religious icons, some 500 years old.
One of Romania's loveliest cathedrals, the 83m (272-ft.) towering Catedrala Mitropolitana Ortodoxa adds color to the skyline at the southern end of Piata Victoriei; combining neo-Byzantine and Moldavian architectural elements, its brick walls are an ornate patchwork of ocher and yellow bands, while the colored mosaic-style shingles on the turreted spires create dynamic geometric patterns. It's a young church (built 1936-46), but the atmosphere generated by its strong associations with the 1989 Revolution complements the somber spirituality of the interior, dominated by three gigantic chandeliers that float above the regular stream of worshippers. Since 1956, the cathedral has held the relics of St. Joseph the New (in a box to the right of the entrance). Joseph, the patron saint of the Banat, was born in Dalmatia in 1568 and became Metropolitan of Timisoara in 1658; he apparently had the gift of prophesy and could perform miracles, bringing on the rains which quelled a great fire that once threatened the city. In the basement, there's a museum (with irregular hours), exhibiting religious icons, some 500 years old.
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