Stavropoleos Monastery: a Brâncovenesc church in old Bucharest
Stavropoleos Monastery (Mănăstirea Stavropoleos) is a small Orthodox convent in the heart of Bucharest, built in 1724 around a church in the Brâncovenesc style. It is worth a short detour for its carved marble porch, its Byzantine choir and one of the quietest courtyards in the old centre.
This little church survived the demolitions of the Ceaușescu years, and its name means “City of the Cross”, taken from a distant bishopric in Caria that its founder once headed.
The history of Stavropoleos Monastery
The church was built in 1724, during the reign of Nicholas Mavrocordatos, Prince of Wallachia from 1719 to 1730. Its founder was the archimandrite Ioanichie Stratonikeas, a Greek monk from Epirus. In the courtyard of his inn he raised a church and a small monastery, which lived on the income of the inn, a fairly common arrangement at the time.
In 1726 Ioanichie was elected metropolitan of Stavropolis, an old see identified with ancient Aphrodisias in Caria, and exarch of Caria. From then on his Bucharest foundation took the name Stavropoleos, after that distant seat. He died on 7 February 1742, aged 61, and was buried in his own church.
At the end of the 19th century the inn and the monastery’s annexes were demolished, and only the church was left standing. Earthquakes over the years weakened the dome until it fell, and its paintings were restored at the beginning of the 20th century. A new building, designed by the architect Ion Mincu, was added in the early 1900s. Today it houses a library, a conference room, a collection of early 18th-century icons and church objects, and fragments of wall paintings rescued from churches demolished under the communist regime. The church itself escaped the destruction of that period. In 1998 works for an electrical substation in the street outside uncovered foundations, and the archaeological digs that followed revealed fragments of walls belonging to several building phases of the old inn.
The community was revived in the late 20th century. The choir, founded in 1994, sings neo-Byzantine chant on a single line sustained by a drone called the ison, now a rare sound in Romanian churches. On 26 March 2008 Stavropoleos was formally re-established as a monastery for nuns, with the first four nuns tonsured on 28 May that year, and on 4 June 2012 Patriarch Daniel re-consecrated the church. Besides daily services, the sisters restore old books, icons and liturgical vestments. The monastery library holds more than 8,000 volumes, including over 80 manuscripts and 400 old printed works, and its collection of Byzantine music books is the largest in Romania.
Curiosities about Stavropoleos Monastery
- The name Stavropoleos is a Romanian form of the Greek Stavropolis, “City of the Cross”. The founder took the title of metropolitan of that old see, and the monastery was named after it.
- The monastery was originally paid for by an inn built next to it: the income of the inn supported the community, a common arrangement in 18th-century Bucharest.
- The church is said to have escaped the demolitions of the Ceaușescu era almost by chance, while many other Bucharest churches were pulled down.
- The small museum building keeps fragments of frescoes saved from churches destroyed under communism.
- The monastery owns the largest collection of Byzantine music books in Romania, mostly donated by two Romanian byzantologists.
- The porch of the church has five marble arches with many lobes, resting on columns with richly carved capitals and a delicate openwork balustrade with plant and animal motifs.
Tours near Stavropoleos Monastery
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Stavropoleos Monastery: what to see
- Start with the porch: five lobed marble arches, carved capitals and a fretwork balustrade show Brâncovenesc stone carving at its finest.
- Inside, the walls and the dome are covered with paintings, and a richly carved wooden iconostasis holds old icons on gold backgrounds.
- The cloister and the early 20th-century building by Ion Mincu contain the library, the icon collection and the rescued fresco fragments.
- The Byzantine choir sings at services, so the chant may be heard during a visit; this is a working convent, so dress and behave respectfully.
- Antim Monastery, Kretzulescu Church and Radu Vodă Monastery are each about 1 km away, and Cantacuzino Palace about 2 km, so the area suits a walk through old Bucharest. Check the current opening hours before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Stavropoleos Monastery is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Stavropoleos Monastery
Questions
Where is Stavropoleos Monastery?
It stands on Strada Stavropoleos in the old centre of Bucharest, not far from Calea Victoriei, the historic main street of the old town.
When was Stavropoleos Monastery built?
The church was built in 1724, in the reign of Nicholas Mavrocordatos, by the archimandrite Ioanichie Stratonikeas. It was originally attached to an inn that paid for the monastery.
What does Stavropoleos mean?
It comes from the Greek Stavropolis, “City of the Cross”. Ioanichie became metropolitan of the old see of Stavropolis in 1726, and the monastery took its name from it.
What architectural style is Stavropoleos Church?
It is built in the Brâncovenesc style, typical of Romanian architecture, with a tower-dome over the nave, a trefoil plan and a carved marble porch.
Is Stavropoleos still a working monastery?
Yes. It was re-established as a monastery for nuns in 2008, and the sisters restore old books and icons besides taking part in the services.
What else can you see at Stavropoleos?
Besides the church, there is a library of over 8,000 books, a collection of old icons and church objects, and fresco fragments saved from demolished churches. The Byzantine choir is a speciality of the house.
Also nearby
Antim Monastery
Bucharest · 1715 monastery with carved stone and a snail emblem
700 m away
Kretzulescu Church
Bucharest · Brâncovenesc church by Revolution Square
750 m away
Radu Vodă Monastery
Bucharest · monastery on a hill settled since prehistory
1 km away
Foișorul de Foc
Bucharest · fire lookout turned firefighters’ museum
2 km away