Churches

Stone religious architecture of Moldova is recognized by its extreme wealth and variety of planning, design and style decisions. Surviving through the centuries, it retains a vivid originality. Pieces of our past - Chisinau churches - part of the soul of our ancestors, the architectural gems of our capital. These structures are characterized by simplicity, completeness of its constructions and reflect the essence of historical-cultural and ethnographic peculiarities of Moldova.

One of the most interesting samples of religious architecture in Chisinau,  as on a historical as well as on an architectural plan is Mazarakii church - one of the oldest in the capital. The temple is located on a hill near the river Bic, under which there is located the source that gave, how it is believed, the name of the city Chisinau.

Documentary evidence about the time of its construction has not been preserved, but, according to studies, it was built in 1752, or in 1772 by the moldovan serdar (commander) Basil Mazaraki.

Mazarakii church refers to places of worship, which constitute old moldavian type of church - trehkonh (in the form of the trefoil). This type of church appeared in the late XIV - early XV century and became one of the unique phenomena in the history of Moldova’s architecture.

Many older sources indicate that in ancient times there were underground tunnels here that connected the castle on the hill with the opposite bank of the river Bic. Popular rumor says that next to the fountain Mazarakii church the great Pushkin loved to rest, who lived nearby, in the house of General Inzov. In the old days the inscription on a stone at the church gates also
talked about it.

Constantine and Helen Church was built in 1777 and named for its location Ryshkanovskoy. The monument has a more "rural" appearance, since it was built during the time of Rascani land owner.

Ryshkanovskaya church is surrounded by the old cemetery, with which it was worthy to make a small architectural reserve. Here one can see many tombstones of ХIХ century, and among them valuable specimens of Moldovan stone-cutting art. At the cemetery there are graves of family Krupensky, Rally, Katsiki, Donici, with whom Pushkin was acquainted.

Iconic landmark building, created after Soviet occupation of Basarabia , is St George's Church. For a long time date of its construction served as a subject of debate among scholars. Some believe that the temple was built in the seventeenth century, while others believe that in the early nineteenth century.

The reason for this serves the connection in the building of the temple of various architectural and design solutions, characteristic, on the one hand, to classicism, and on the other - for the moldovan national architecture. Yet the most widely held view is that that the building of the St. George's Church was laid in 1814 by the initiative of a group of Bulgarians, very numerous at that time in Chisinau, and was completed in 1819.

In the exterior of the church can be felt the characteristic architecture of the preceding century, the simplicity and the monumentality of the forms with modesty jewelry.

At the corner of 28 June and 31 August, in the center of the city, is  located Panteleimon church (architect AO Bernardazzi) - interesting monument of religious architecture of the end of XIX century.

Panteleimon Church is one of the best cross temples built in Moldova. Panteleimon Church is one of the few structures that were identified in 1892 by the architectural community in Russia. Despite the fact that the church Panteleimon is located in the heart of the capital, the holy calm around is rarely violated by the city noise. And the temple, drown in the greenery of old trees, beckons the residents with his calmness and tranquility.

Ciuflea Church - Church of the Holy Martyr Theodore Tiron, built in 1850-1858 Monument of architecture. In 1956 on the former Ciuflea area the Muncesti side of Chisinau  with " the efforts of merchant Ciuflea"  the church of St. Theodore Tyrone was built. It is protected by the government. Now the church is functioning.