Timişoara Orthodox Cathedral

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The Timişoara Orthodox Cathedral located in Timişoara, Romania was built between 1937 and 1940. It is dedicated to the Three Holy Hierarchs, Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom.

It has 11 towers, of which the central and the highest has a height of 96 meters. In the cathedral are kept many precious Romanian religious objects such as old icons and early Romanian writings, such as "Noul Testament de la Bălgrad" (The New Testament of Bălgrad / Alba-Iulia) of 1648 and "Cazania lui Varlaam" of 1643.

The unique architectural style is quite unusual for the Romanian Orthodox Church, although it is based on religious tradition combined with the Byzantine artistic style. It is the style which the artisans from Moldavia and Constantinopole had brought to this part of the country and transplanted into this region, with modification to suit individual church and the climate. This type of building, with niches under the eaves, starry vaulting in the interior and lacquered discs in a variety of colours, can be seen in monasteries such as Cozia or Prislop (14th century monasteries, planned according to the rules laid down by the monk Nicodim of Prilep).

The church's interior and exterior paintings were executed by the painter Atanasie Demian. The difficult period that followed the initial construction prevented the paintings from being finished on time, so this work went on for many years after the war.