Greek Church (Bucharest)
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The Greek Church (Romanian: Biserica Greacă) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 1 Pache Protopopescu Square in Bucharest, Romania, on the grounds of the Greek Embassy. It is dedicated to the Feast of the Annunciation.
The church was built on the site of an old Greek cemetery that once extended until Foișorul de Foc. During the 19th century, members of the local Greek community did not have their own church, instead worshiping at other parishes, in particular the Kalenderoglu Church.[1] The idea of building a specifically Greek church appeared as early as 1874, but internal divisions and lack of land, authorization and funds delayed the start of construction for a quarter century.[2]
In 1890, a local Greek banker expressed a desire to build a church. The Bucharest City Hall soon granted the embassy’s request for it to cede land on which this could be built, together with a school. In 1898, the lot, measuring some 1900 square meters, was purchased by the Greek chargé d’affaires. Construction began in 1899, financed by the Harokopos brothers and other wealthy Greeks.[1] The first Divine Liturgy was held on the Greek National Day in 1901, two years to the day after the cornerstone was laid.[2] The building and interior painting were restored around the year 2000.[1]
