People's Salvation Cathedral

The People's Salvation Cathedral (Romanian: Catedrala Mântuirii Neamului; People's Redemption Cathedral a better translation of the name), also known as the National Cathedral (Romanian: Catedrala Națională), is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral under construction in Bucharest to serve as the patriarchal cathedral of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It is located in central Bucharest on Spirea's Hill (Arsenal Square), facing the same courtyard as the Palace of Parliament which is the heaviest building in the world, the cathedral having a one-tenth of its weight and about one-fifth of its volume. Situated behind the Palace of Parliament, this will make it 50 metres taller than the Palace, and will help to make the cathedral an iconic landmark in the city. The People's Salvation Cathedral to 135 metres (443 ft) height (ground-cross), holds a dominant position in Bucharest's cityscape, being visible from all approaches to the city.
It is the tallest and largest Eastern Orthodox church building by volume, and area, in the world. The People's Salvation Cathedral will have the largest collection of church mosaics in the world (interior decoration) when it is completed, having about 18,000 square meters, including the mosaic of the altar is about 3,000 square meters. The mosaic of the National Cathedral contains glass tesserae from Venice, and Carrara stone from Pietrasanta, Italy. Also the People's Salvation Cathedral has the world's largest Orthodox iconostasis (23.8 meters length and 17.1 meters height) and the world's largest free-swinging church bell.
The cathedral is dedicated to the Ascension of Christ, which in Romania is celebrated as the Heroes' Day, and to Saint Andrew the Apostle, protector of Romania. The cathedral was consecrated on 25 November 2018 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, Patriarch Daniel of Romania and Metropolitan Chrysostomos (gr) of Patras from the Greek Orthodox Church. On the same day as the consecration, the very first church service of the cathedral took place and was led by both Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Daniel. The first patronal feast of the People's Salvation Cathedral was celebrated on 30 November, on the day of 'Saint Andrew the First Called', and the Liturgy was officiated by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and Patriarch Daniel of Romania. The first Te Deum of the cathedral was celebrated on 1 December 2018.
The idea of a national cathedral first emerged following the Romanian War of Independence (1877–1878), which was mainly fought between the Russian and Ottoman Empires. The church was to symbolise the victory of Orthodox Christians over the Ottoman Muslims. The idea was shelved for lack of consensus on design, location and funding. The Unification of the Romanian Principalities in 1859, entailed a unitary organisation of church structures in Moldavia and Wallachia within the Holy Synod (1872), thus the assembly of hierarchs increased to 12 members, including: the Primate Metropolitan (chairman), the Metropolitan of Moldavia and their suffragan bishops of Râmnic, Buzău, Argeș, Roman, Huși and Lower Danube (Galați) and one auxiliary vicar-bishop for every diocese. The old Metropolitan Cathedral had proved overcrowded, especially during the national holidays, such as the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania and the crowning of King Carol I of Romania (10 May 1881), when none of the over one hundred churches in Bucharest was able to receive those who would have wanted to participate in the official service. Therefore, at King Carol I's desire, Romania's Assembly of Deputies and the Senate voted in favour of the Law no. 1750 on the construction of the Cathedral Church in Bucharest, promulgated by King Carol I on 5 June 1884.
On 10 May 1920, King Ferdinand I sent a royal letter to Archbishop Miron Cristea, the first Metropolitan-Primate of Greater Romania, supporting the project, but this had no effect. In 1925, after the Romanian Orthodox Church became an independent patriarchate, Metropolitan Cristea now newly enthroned as the first Patriarch of All Romania, suggested Carol Park as a site, but Bibescu Vodă Square (Unirii Square) was chosen instead. There, in 1929, a cross (calvary) was raised. Lack of funds meant the construction was postponed and later forgotten.
Patriarch Teoctist was the one who re-launched the project of building a National Cathedral, in this sense sanctifying a cross on 5 February 1999 as the cornerstone of the future cathedral, in the place of Unirii Square that had previously been sanctified by Patriarch Miron Cristea. Meanwhile, there had been an epochal event, which was the visit by Pope John Paul II to Romania (7–9 May 1999).
On 16 February 2005, the Bucharest City Hall proposed to the Patriarchate "as the most suitable place to be available" for the structure, which was the Arsenal Hill, considered the highest place in Bucharest. Following the Patriarchate's approval, the Government of Romania promoted the Ordinance no.19/17 March 2005 for the building of the People's Salvation Cathedral. Then the Chamber of Deputies voted to give the building site of 110,000 m to Romanian Patriarchate by the protocol of 13 February 2006. The Arsenal Hill was recommended after three other locations were proposed at different stages (Piața Unirii 1999, Alba Iulia Square 2001, Carol Park 2004). Three churches were demolished (Alba Postăvari, Spirea Veche, and Izvorul Tămăduirii), and two churches had been moved (Schitul Maicilor and Mihai Vodă), by the communist regime to build civic centre and the Palace of the Parliament, previously known as the House of the People (Romanian: Casa Poporului). The cornerstone for the construction of the People's Salvation Cathedral was sanctified on 29 November 2007, being officiated by Patriarch Daniel the sixth Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Building began in 2010, and after almost a decade of construction, the cathedral was consecrated on 25 November 2018. The consecration was held in presence of 100 priests including 60 bishops, where the special guests were the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I and Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras. Approximately 55,000 people attended at the Divine Liturgy which took place inside the cathedral just after its consecration.
Metropolitan-primate Miron Cristea proposed the name of the cathedral on 10 May 1920, when spoke in front of the Holy Synod and King Ferdinand, about building a People's Cathedral meant to celebrate the birth of Greater Romania. "Will prove to be a visible symbol of our unity in faith and law" metropolitan-primate Miron explained, and King Ferdinand took the floor referred to a Church of Redemption, while Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu resorted to another phrasing mentioning People's Redemption Church. The Romanian word "neam" is difficult to translate in English, because the term people does not convey properly the sense of unity of blood and lineage that "neam" suggests, and it is perhaps better expressed by formulas like ethnic nation or kin. The national identity is a kind of ancestor worship, a system of kinship in which national heroes occupy the place of clan elders in defining a nation as a noble lineage. The word "mântuire" just like "neam" specifically Romanian, is also a complex term. Even though it is commonly translated as salvation, it retains a spiritual nuance that makes redemption a better alternative. Patriarch Daniel explained in 2008 the choice of name at the symposium "New Patriarchal Cathedral", saying: "this name is a manifestation of gratitude or thanksgiving brought to God for the deliverance of the Romanian nation from oppression and alienation".
The Ascension of God is the first celebration of the day, because it is also the day of the Romanian heroes of all time and of all places, and the second is the celebration of Saint Apostle Andrew the first called, Protector of Romania. Patriarch Daniel said about the first celebration: "The homage to the memory of the Romanian heroes during World War I, who fought for national freedom, unity and dignity, must be today a source of inspiration and renewal for patriotic Romanians. That is why, the main dedication of the People's Salvation Cathedral is the Lord's Ascension when we celebrate the Day of Heroes. Thus, besides the practical necessity of the future National Cathedral, this is also a national spiritual symbol, being dedicated to the worship of those who have sacrificed themselves for the defense of the homeland and the Orthodox ancestral faith and for the freedom of the Romanian people". Patriarch Daniel said about the second celebration: "This building will be a symbol of national unity because the feast of Saint Apostle Andrew, which was placed the day before the National Day on 1 December, shows that the national unity has settled with us on the Romanians primarily on spiritual unity, on unity of faith, thought and sentiment. Our church greatly contributed to the development of the Romanian language and Romanian culture."
Romanian Patriarchy launched on 28 December 2009 the tender for the selection of the project of the People's Salvation Cathedral. The design proposal should include the feasibility study (SF) and the technical documentation for the construction authorization (DTAC). The delivery term of the documentation accompanied by the proposed model layout was established on 31 May 2010. In June, the Patriarchal Commission for coordination and verification of design works, together with the technical subcommittees for evaluation on architecture, resilience and facilities specialties analyzed the projects presented and determined the scores obtained by the participants. Later, between 30 June and 1 July (2010), the commission of final evaluation of projects under the chairmanship of Patriarch Daniel met at the Patriarchal Palace. Vanel Exim based in Bacău was chosen for the architectural design of the cathredal. On 2 September 2010, the building's construction permit was obtained. To begin the cathedral's construction, 24 notices were needed from various state institutions and the city hall of Bucharest. The works officially started on 15 December 2010, with the breakdown of the axes of the building.
In December 2010 – June 2011, the company Foretis Inject executed the 80-centimeter thick mulled walls of foundation up to 15.8 meters deep (north-south walls), and the company Lufin Construct excavated 90 thousand cubic meters of soil from the foundation. On the higher north–south walls, the anchorages were mounted on three levels, on the shorter east–west walls were mounted two-level anchorages, and the last level of anchorages is located below the groundwater level. The hanger rods have a 75 degree inclination towards the foundation wall, and the fastening was made with the help of 750 concrete-drilled anchorages by the Italian company CasaGrande.
On 28 June 2011, the contract with Bog'Art company for the construction of the building's foundation was concluded. In July 2011 – April 2013, the cathedral was built up to the nave floor of 6.8 meters from the ground. The deep foundation is a 120-meter-long monoblock structure, composed of a network of concrete beams and was imposed to avoid sliding the foundation to earthquakes. The foundation was built between December 2011 - June 2012 and the basement until April 2013. The main building of the cathedral is designed as a structure independent from the walls surrounding foundation, moving like a piston in a cylinder. Around the foundation between the lead tank and mulled walls, an 8-centimeter insulation of expanded polystyrene is arranged, which allows the cathedral's movement in all parts to the earthquake.
For the waterproofing of the cathedral, Bog'Art engineering team together with Swiss engineer Franco Sticher conducted many tests over three months in Romania and Switzerland. Were tested the bitumen foil, bentonite foil, polyurethane foil and lead foil. Due to the corrosion indestructibility, the whole foundation of cathedral was dressed in a lead tank. In November–December 2011, over 120 welders welded 10 thousand square meters lead foils. About 400 tons of lead were used horizontally (4 mm thick) and vertically (3 mm thick) in the cathedral's foundation. Lead has a high plastic deformation capacity without breaking, required quality under conditions of the building massiveness. It is used in high-voltage power cables as shell material and as a protective sheath for underground or underwater cables, to prevent water diffusion into insulation.
On 22 July 2013, the contract was concluded with the Austrian company Strabag for the construction of the building's superstructure. In June 2015, the height of the structure was raised by more than half. To the achievement of vaults, the upper part of nave and dome for not putting pressure on the nave's floor, a metal scaffolding structure weighing 1100 tons was installed in the form of trapezium with base at 27 meters and gradually raised up to 45 meters.
For the People's Salvation Cathedral were used 145 thousand cubic meters of heavy concrete, about 40 thousand tons of reinforcement and 22 thousand tons of bricks, bringing the weight of the cathedral to about 420 thousand tons, over the weight of Saint Isaac's cathedral of 322 thousand tons, and at the same time it is the heaviest Eastern Orthodox Church building. For the People's Salvation Cathedral was used about 12% of the quantity of concrete and steel used in the Palace of Parliament. The concrete used (C40/50) for the People's Salvation Cathedral is same concrete used for the Vidraru Dam, which showed its resistance to the 1977 earthquake without any crack. The thickest rebar used in reinforced cement concrete (RCC) is BTS500-S of 32 millimeters diameter.
Were used 6,200 cubic meters of solid bricks produced at Câmpulung Muscel and 7,800 cubic meters hollow bricks produced at Târgu Jiu. For solid bricks, was used clay from the Grui hill near Câmpulung Muscel. The bricks used are absorbent, so that with the application of the first layer of plaster, due to the brick's porosity there is adhesion between the mortar layer and brick. When the bricks are hit they make a glass sound. The cathedral wall from outside to inside has the following structure: hollow bricks, flexible reinforcements (steel bars), rigid metal structure (welded sheets metal reinforcement), flexible reinforcements and solid bricks.
Energy efficiency is assured by massive walls of resistance and brick used on the inside and outside of them. The cathedral is designed to withstand earthquakes of 9 on the Richter scale. The cathedral should receive its final touch, the paintwork, by 2025 according to the Romanian Orthodox Church. The chapel of the cathedral was built in 2011, exclusively from sponsorships. In this chapel, there are liturgical services for the good works of the People's Salvation Cathedral, for the workers, but also for the founders and donors. In the chapel is a copy of the Icon Theotokos Acheiropoieta (Prodromiţa) from the Romanian Skete Prodromos in Mount Athos. Also, here is the reliquary with the relics of Saint John Chrysostom, the 37th archbishop of Constantinople.
The design of the new cathedral was debated by parties including the Romanian Senate and the Mayor of Bucharest. The winning design featured elements of architectural details from all the Romanian provinces and territories in an area that would make the cathedral complex one of the largest religious sites in the world. The cathedral is projected for over 20,000 people in the main cathedral building and underground galleries. A total of 7,000 worshipers can attend the holy liturgy at the same time, with a 1,000 member choir, clergy and 6,000 pilgrims in the main cathedral building. The underground chapel could accommodate 5,000 pilgrims, and the underground St. Andrew's Cave gallery could accommodate over 10,000 pilgrims. In the whole complex could accommodate 125,000 visitors on an area of 11 hectares, and in the piazza could accommodate 43,000 visitors. The main cathedral has 6,050 square meters (floor nave) and with stairway has 8,400 square meters. The plan of cathedral is 126 metres (413 ft) length, 68 metres (223 ft) width, and 135 metres (443 ft) (ground level) height. The main building is elevated 6.8 metres (22 ft) with the basement area extending to 15.8 metres (52 ft) below ground level. The basement area which extending below the ground level, has 7,200 square meters. The volume of the cathedral is 323 thousand cubic meters, with the basement 479 thousand cubic meters and with the pedestal 508 thousand cubic meters. The cathedral together with the underground gallery Saint Andrew have 595 thousand cubic meters.
Along with the Palace of Parliament, the Romanian Academy, the Ministry of National Defense, the cathedral can be seen as a vertical axis or a unifying pole for these buildings in a unitary and representative urban ensemble. Also, the cathedral located on Spirea's Hill (Arsenal Square) near the Ministry of National Defense, can be considered the Cathedral of Romanian heroes of all times, who sacrificed themselves for the defense of the homeland.
In January 2018, the Patriarchate requested portfolios with mosaics made by painters from all over Romania, throughout their careers, the winner will make the mosaic of the National Cathedral. The iconographer Daniel Codrescu won, and together with his team he started working in February. The team has about 60 people, most are top specialists in iconography and mosaic art, and a few apprentice students. They work in the workshop and on the construction site. After the iconographic scenes are made, painted, and chosen the model of the tesserae by Daniel Codrescu, the drawings are sent to the Romanian Patriarchate for approval, then part of the team makes the mosaic with millions of tesserae according to the drawings, and finally the rest of the team assembles the mosaic on wall.
According to the iconographic plan, the mosaics of the cathedral show the historical basis of the Orthodox Church, thus the iconography of the cathedral includes: the Church of the Apostolic Age rendered by the representation of the twelve Apostles, the Church of the Patristic Age of the holy fathers from the Greek, Syriac, Latin and Slavic Churches, and the Romanian Orthodox Church old and contemporary. In addition to the saints from the universal church, on the walls of the cathedral will be represented the great saints of the Romanian nation. Also, certain spaces inside the cathedral will be dedicated to the confessors saints from the Romanian communist prisons, such as the priests Stăniloae, Sofian, Cleopa, Partenie Gherasim and others. The mosaic of the cathedral is made according to the hesychastic tradition and in the Neo-Byzantine style. The architecture of the cathedral is a synthesis between tradition and contemporaneity, through national architectural elements such as Brâncovenesc porches, Transylvanian towers and Moldavian niches (Romanian: ocnițe).
For the mosaic of the People's Salvation Cathedral, is mainly used glass made in Venice and Carrara stone. The Murano glass is processed by the Venetian foundries Orsoni and Mosaici Donà Murano. The Orsoni foundry produce 24K gold leaf mosaics, blown gold and Venetian smalti in more than 3,500 colors. The smalti Orsoni was used in the decoration of the St.Mark's Basilica, Sagrada Familia, and the Washington Basilica. The Carrara stone was used in many sculptures of the Renaissance, such as Michelangelo's Pietà, and in the mosaic technique. The gold glass was chosen after the glass used at St.Mark's Basilica, being lighter in color. Murano glass from Orsoni Venezia was used to restore the St.Mark's Basilica, the same company that supply the glass to the People's Salvation Cathedral.
The tesserae are made of colored glass. The gold glass, on the side from the wall they are green-blue, to better reflect the light on the golden side, from the viewer. First, the figures were drawn and then painted "in the mirror" on a paper support and over them was mounted the mosaic, with the gold layer facing inside, towards the painted support. After applying the mosaic painting on the wall and cleaning the paper support on which it had been mirror-mounted, the mosaic remains mounted with the golden part of the tesserae towards the onlooker. For soldering is used a natural glue, made of water and flour, which after fixing on the wall, will be easy to soak and wash with the paper on which it was glued. In Byzantium, lime mixed with sand was used, which dried quickly, which did not allow very detailed finishes. Making a square meter are used approximately 16 kg of mosaic involves joining about 10,000 tesserae, applied with a special cement-based adhesive, working 4–7 days to arrange them according to the difficulty and size of the pixelization. For the People's Salvation Cathedral will require about 400 tons of tesserae, covering an area of 25,000 square meters.
The vaulted nave reaches an interior height of 44 meters, being the Orthodox church with the highest interior nave and among the highest in the world. With a nave width of 25.2 meters, People's Salvation Cathedral is the church building with the second-widest nave in the world after St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City (27 m). Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has bigger span (31 m), but it has not a nave in the strict sense. By comparison, the nave of the People's Salvation Cathedral has about 2,650 square meters with 78.6 meters (colonnade - iconostasis) by 65.1 meters (transepts), and the main hall of the Hagia Sophia has about 2,400 square meters with 78.1 meters (250 Byzantine foot - without altar) by 37.5 meters (120 Byzantine foot - transepts). If the main cathedral door and the iconostasis door are opened, visually between a person from entrance (colonnade) and the middle of the altar table are 106 meters, and if it is in the nave's middle (under the main dome), from the floor it sees the dome ceiling (Pantocrator) also at 106 meters.
The floor of the cathedral will be covered with marble from Rușchița, the best marble in Romania. This marble has been used for many famous buildings: Romanian Parliament Building, Milan Cathedral, Hungarian Parliament Building, Istana Nurul Iman etc. The eagle in the Oval Office at the White House, one of the American symbols, is white Rușchița marble. Rușchița is the most renowned marble deposit in Romania. The quarry is located in Caraș-Severin County, south of the Poiana Ruscă Mountains. The marble from Rușchița is subsequently processed at Simeria, where the final product is made. The marble models used mainly for the cathedral are Rușchița Classico and Rușchița Champagne. The Rușchița Classico has a white-yellow color, and the Rușchița Champagne has a white-pinkish color. Inside the cathedral is used Rușchița marble up to 4 meters height, and the marble for the access steps of the cathedral has 7 cm thickness.
Vratsa marble from Bulgaria, it is used outside the cathedral up to 7 meters height. Vratsa stone for its hardness is used for window-door frames. For the interior decorations in the nave and altar Carrara marble is used. It is quarried from the Apuan Alps mountains, near the city of Pietrasanta, Italy. Carrara marble is a type of marble popular for use in building decor. The marble from Carrara was used for some of the most remarkable buildings in Ancient Rome, such as Pantheon, and other notable construction such as Siena Cathedral, Legislative Palace of Uruguay, Glasgow City Chambers, Finlandia Hall and the Akshardham (New Delhi).
The National Cathedral has 27 bronze doors with iconographic representations. The four-ton bronze doors are 2 meters width with 6.35 meters height at the arch. These are coordinated by a computer system that command the automatic opening of the doors in case of alarm. The doors were made at Süßen by Strassacker. The same company also made the bronze crosses on the towers. Initially, six companies from Austria and six companies from Germany were contacted and finally the company from Süßen was chosen. The bas-reliefs of the saints are life-size. Over 50 saints are represented on the doors of the cathedral. At the entrance on the main doors is the Mother of God and the Savior Jesus Christ. On the doors are represented martyrs, hierarchs, including over twenty Romanian saints. In 2017, Patriarch Daniel said that, the cathedral belongs to all Romanian saints, from all parts of the country.
The People's Salvation Cathedral has 396 windows and the largest window is the Ascension of Christ stained-glass from entrance (90 sqm) that cost 200 thousand euros. The frameworks of the galvanized arched windows with stainless steel clamping systems were made in Belgium by Reynaers company and electrochemically treated by anodizing. The double secured glazing of 6 millimeters each were made in Ploiești by Valras Prod. The galvanized frameworks have two sets of windows, the secured ones and the stained-glass windows.
In 2022 the Nativity of Jesus scene having 178 square meters was completed in the southern apse, and in February 2024 the apse and arch were completed. The south apse's registries below the conch are four in number. The two upper registers of the hemicycle are related to the family theme, among which: the Visitation, Adoration of the magi, Joseph's dream, flight into Egypt, presentation of Jesus at the temple, Jesus blessing the children, wedding at Cana, census of Quirinius and others. The two lower registers of the hemicycle contain saints and Romanian rulers (ro:domni). The south apse's arch contains three registers: Christian martyrs (below), Jesus at the age of twelve in the temple (middle) and the tree of Jesse (upper).
The vaulted nave on which the dome rests reaches an interior height of 40.35 meters. The "triumphal" vault between the altar and nave includes the iconographic representation of twelve Old Testament Prophets, the venerable Melchizedek, along with the throne of Hetoimasia and the representation of the heavenly powers: Cherubim, Seraphim and Angels. The prophets shown in medallions of 1.8 meters, hold in their hands symbolic representations, anticipating Theotokos and the foreshadowing of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The main mosaic of the "triumphal" vault is Hetoimasia (gr:ἑτοιμασία), also known as the throne of the Last Judgment or the Second Coming. The scene contains: the dove of the Holy Spirit, the spear and sponge on a stick, the nails from the cross and crown of thorns. An empty throne with a Gospel Book on it, was being placed in the chamber of church councils to represent Christ, at the First Council of Ephesus in 431. The scene is inspired by the painted church exterior at Voroneţ Monastery in Romania (1547). On the mosaic Hetoimasia's edge is written (gr-Ps:88; en-Ps:89) "Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before Thy face".
The dominant feature is the huge elongated dome, which will have a total height of 135 meters (ground-top cross), and will become the third tallest domed church in the world, after Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and St. Peter's Basilica. It also has the tallest top dome outside in the world without the lantern-cross with 121.1 meters. At the lantern's top the cathedral rises to 127.1 meters from the ground. The Pantocrator cupola of the People's Salvation Cathedral has 106.3 meters height from the floor, surpasses the interior height dome of St.Peter's Basilica which has 101.8 meters from the floor of the basilica. The diameter of cupola is 16.8 meters inside, with 18 meters concrete making a hemispherical shape, and the concrete dome was completed on 24 May 2019. The dome is surrounded by six towers, and at the western end is the bell tower or campanile, 86.8 meters height crossless, which contains the world's largest free-swinging church bell.
The overall style is Romanian revival, a synthesis of Renaissance revival through the high dome, Romanesque through the façade with towers, and Neo-Byzantine through the bell tower. Both the dome and the hexadecagonal outer cupola are a feature inspired by the tempietto shape of the St. Peter's Basilica. The outer dome's façade has some similarities to the northern façade and choir of the Sacré-Cœur, Paris Basilica. In the Romanian space, among sources of landmark are several buildings. The dome's peristyle surrounded by sixteen arches, the six upper octagonal towers with squared basis, three linear moulding around the building find at the Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral, Cluj-Napoca. The bell tower's façade with the porch, and the Byzantine compound dome with two rows of pendentives, found at the Timișoara Orthodox Cathedral. Also from the Coronation Cathedral, Alba Iulia are found the arches, cornice, and the robust façade of the bell tower by side buttresses. The portal with the bell tower's rosette and the porch resemble that of the Antim Monastery and the Cașin Church in Bucharest.
The dome is set on a rectangular-octagonal shaped drum which has 1,350 square meters. Around the dome is a row of circular shields, adorned with the cross of Saint Andrew. The main part to visit is the dome's peristyle with sixteen arches supported on each side by continuous colonnade with a circumference of 93 meters around the dome and 29.4 meters in diameter. The arcades are supported by scallop capital of simplified Corinthian order. The capital together with its abacus, have octagonal shape in the towers and bell tower, and at the dome have hexadecagonal shape. The large stained glass windows will be mounted around the dome, each measuring 11.45 meters height by 1.35 meters width. Above the peristyle is the belvedere dome surrounded by a balustraded balcony at 97.8 meters height from the ground, behind a small semioval windows. Above this attic rises the cupola covered with gilded copper, and ribbed in accordance with the spacing of the columns. The outside cupola is pierced by sixteen small skylights just below the lantern, but these are barely visible from the ground level by an onlooker. The inner connection cupola-lantern, is achieved by a spiral metallized staircase. The roof sheet is a CuAl5Zn5 alloy (Tecu-Gold), where copper has 91.55% (99.99% purity) and 8.45% aluminium bronze, and was made by the German company KME. The copper sheet area used for the cathedral is 19,913 square meters.
The inner dome consists of two parts supported by two rows of pendentives, with a total area of 4,200 square meters, and the highest point of the dome's ceiling rises 106.25 meters above the floor of the nave. The upper dome having 2,830 square meters, with a diameter of 16.8 meters is supported by pendentives at 52.75 meters height, and will consists the mosaics: Christ Pantocrator and the registers of the nine heavenly powers. The lower dome with a diameter of 25.2 meters is supported by pendentives at 40.35 meters height, having 1,370 square meters which will include scenes from the Savior's life, Theotokos and the holy apostles, prophets, hierarchs.
The Pantocrator cupola has about 450 square meters, of which the Pantocrator mosaic represents 150 square meters and the surface's rest is represented by the mosaic of the nine heavenly powers. With a diameter of 12 meters, of which the face is 4.5 meters, the making of the Pantocrator mosaic required over six months and 2.4 tons of tesserae were used. In February 2024, began assembling of the Pantocrator mosaic on the dome's ceiling at the highest point of the worship's place, and the dome's mosaic will be finished in 2025. Christ is wearing a blue mantle and a purple robe, he is the King of kings and shows strength, austerity and almighty. The arched eyebrows accentuate the horizontal lines of the arms, and the nose that intersects with the horizontal lines creates a symbolic cross. Around the Pantocrator mosaic are two quotations from (gr-Ps:79; en-Ps:80) "O God!, o God!: look down from heaven and behold, and visit this vineyard which Thy right hand hath planted, and it perfects her"; and (gr-Ps:32; en-Ps:33) "The Lord looketh from heaven, He beholdeth all!"; Amen. The Pantocrator mosaic is mainly inspired by the mosaics from the mosaic Deesis (Δέησις, "Prayer") in Hagia Sophia located in the upper south gallery, dating back to 1261, from the southern dome of the Chora church, and from the dome of Daphni monastery an eleventh-century Byzantine architecture monastery.
The vaulted apse altar reaches an interior height of 42.2 meters from the floor of cathedral, and the altar's mosaic including iconostasis is about 3,000 square meters. The floor of the altar where the Holy Liturgy is held is 330 square meters, and with the altar ambulatory is 430 square meters. The iconography of the altar excluding iconostasis, comprises five sections: the apse and the hemicycle of the altar with three central registers and the vestment wall.
On 7 May 2019, the Theotokos Platytera (gr:Πλατυτέρα των Ουρανών, "higher than the heavens") icon was completed in the apse altar. It is the largest mosaic of Theotokos in the world, having 16 meters height and 150 square meters. The idea he started, is the Theotokos mosaic from the Hagia Sophia, but larger in size than this.
Following the conversion of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque, the coordinator of the team of iconographers Daniel Codrescu expressed his wish that the Theotokos of National Cathedral from Bucharest, will symbolically replace the Theotokos from Constantinople. It is a synthesis "according to the Romanian soul" with elements from several well-known icons, Daniel Codrescu explained. To make the Platytera mosaic, one million pieces of mosaic were used. For the mantle of the Mother of God, nine different colors of red were used. Below the Theotokos Platytera icon are nine windows through which light enters, like the nine biblical ode, emphasizing the description of the Queen of Heavens. The Theotokos Platytera icon is surrounded by the archangels Michael and Gabriel, each having 13 meters height with 5 meters width and the wings 10 meters in length. The mosaic of the Theotokos and archangels is about 600 square meters. In June 2020, the mosaic of apse altar was completed having about 1,000 square meters.
The altar registers below the apse altar, are three in number. The upper register of the hemicycle, in the center contains the Tabernacle of the Congregation, which was a foreshadowing of the Mother of God in the Old Testament. On the left is the scene of Abraham's Sacrifice, and on the right is the scene of Melchizedek's Tribute offering. The middle register in the center contains the establishing of the New Testament through the Partaking of the Apostles. On the left is the Holy Trinity in the version of Abraham's Hospitality (gr:Φιλοξενία), and on the right is the Prophet Elijah fed by the ravens. The lower register is dedicated to eighteen Romanian saints hierarchs. The last section of the altar is the vestment wall, which includes nine stained glass with saints.
The mosaic of the Apostles Partaking is 22 meters in length by 7 meters in height, and the Savior has a height of 4 meters. The Eucharist also known as Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper is a symbolic scene of the Apostles Partaking. Angels with fans stand on either side of the Communion table. To their left and right is the twice portrayed figure of Christ: on the left is breaking bread, on the right shares the wine, and the disciples coming to Him from both sides. Judas appears turned with his back on the Savior, and the halo remains detached behind (right side of the scene). This iconographic detail is taken from Sucevița Monastery. Among the sources of inspiration is the mosaic in the altar of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (11th century), but also by the Eucharist mosaic from the museum of the same cathedral, which belonged to the demolished St.Michael's Monastery in Kyiv (1113).
The pathway in front of the iconostasis is 7.7 meters width at the upper soleas with 3.13 meters width at the lower end, the soleas having 10.83 meters width and 270 square meters. The bema composed of altar and soleas is about 600 square meters for liturgical space. The floor of the altar and soleas are covered with marble and Rușchița stone, the models used being Muse Campagne, Caffe Latte, Sun Red, White Sivec, White Onyx stone and Yellow Onyx stone. Below the Holy Table of the altar are placed the relics fragments of the Saint Martyr Constantin Brâncoveanu, and the relics fragments of the saints martyrs from Niculițel. Also inside the Holy Table, there is a list of 350,000 names of the Romanian heroes from the First and Second World War.
The iconostasis of the People's Salvation Cathedral, with the size of 23.8 meters length and 17.1 meters height, is the largest Orthodox iconostasis in the world. On one side the iconostasis has 407 square meters (wall to wall without doors) of mosaic being covered with over 4 million tesserae weighing 8 tons and with the adhesive 10 tons. Along with the thickened side edges that are part of the cathedral's iconography walls, the 1.26-meter thick iconostasis and over 800 square meters of mosaic on both sides is 25.2 meters length as nave, the whole structure with ornaments and crucifix weighing about 1,500 tons. The royal doors has an inner vaulted of 4.28 meters height with 2.50 meters width, the edge of the gate being covered with 12.4 tons of Onyx stone. Age-old since the world began, the onyx is the first gemstone which find in the pages of the Old Testament, in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:12).
For the realization of the iconostasis of the cathedral in Bucharest, a team of over 45 mosaic and fresco specialists worked for ten months. The leader of this team was iconographer Daniel Codrescu. Originally, the team had thought of marble frames for each large icon, but because the weight of the material could have affected the structure of the iconostasis resistance, the idea was abandoned. This iconostasis is made entirely of mosaic and fresco in Byzantine style. The team involved in the project was divided into two groups: the first involved in making the mosaics in the workshop, and the second in fitting them on the stonework. Iconographer Daniel Codrescu said: "Everything is worked in the smallest details. The team tried to take the realization to another level of greatness. With the help of God, this monumental work is a gift to the Centenary of Romania. This iconostasis is the summary of the kingdom of heavens." The front of the iconostasis has 45 icons placed on four registers. The first register has six royal icons, the second register has thirteen icons with royal feasts, the third register has the icon of the Holy Trinity (center) and the twelve Apostles, and the fourth register has the Theotokos (center) and the twelve Prophets of the Old Testament. On the four side doors are the four archangels, and on the royal door are the Annunciation and the four Evangelists. The royal icons have the dimensions of 2.15 meters width with 3.75 meters height and an area of 8 square meters. All icons of the iconostasis have a total of 130 portraits.
The rear face of the iconostasis contains three registers. The upper register in the center contains the Last Supper, represented by the liturgical variant in the hemicycle altar through the Partaking of the Apostles. On the left is Jesus Christ washing the feet of the disciples. It is a ritual practiced on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). On the right are two scenes, the road to Emmaus appearance and the Supper at Emmaus. The middle and lower registers have nineteen Romanian saints, hierarchs, pious and priests. The iconostasis and the altar are joined by two walls, each with three saints.
Commonly, on the iconostasis are four royal icons, but here we have six, which has helped us to represent the two patronal feasts, "Ascension of the Lord" and "Saint Apostle Andrew". On the left is placed the icons of Saint Nicholas and Saint John the Baptist, two of the most beloved saints in Romanian space. Like a peculiarity, in the registry of the Saints Apostles is represented the Holy Trinity, which in this case occupies the place of the Judge Right. The latter, has been moved to the royal icon of the Savior Jesus Christ. Together with the icon of the Theotokos and Saint John the Baptist is symbolized the Deesis icon. The Holy Trinity was chosen by Patriarch Daniel, to emphasize the Scripture quote that says, "Going, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The Saints Apostles preach the teaching of the Holy Trinity, being the representatives who baptizes the nations.
At each entrance to the altar above the five doors, from right to left is written: 1st door – "Behold, a door standing open in heaven" (Revelation 4); 2nd door – "God of life!, open the doors of repentance to me, that my spirit sighs at Your holy church" (Horologion); central door – "Peace be to you!" (John 20); 4th door – "Blessed Virgin Theotokos open to us the door of mercy, so that those who trust in you may not perish" (Triodion); 5th door – "He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord" (Ezekiel 44).
In December 2021, the Crucifix was placed on the iconostasis after the structure was made in August. The cross and the two side mosaics (ro:Molenii) were made between 2018 and 2021 by the iconographer Daniel Codrescu, along with other nine mosaic specialists. The Crucifix with a height of 4.5 meters and with the pedestal 5 meters rising to 23 meters from the floor of the cathedral. In the side-attendant of the Crucifix, are the mosaics of the Theotokos and Saint John the Apostle.
On the face behind the Crucifix, is a pelican with chicks, and at the bottom is a quote from the second ode of the Lord's Lamentations at the Burial (ro:Prohod): "Like a pelican, You hurt yourself into your rib, O Saviour!; You gave your life, for your sons who died, spreading living springs over them". The image of the mother pelican feeding her chicks with his blood, is rooted in an ancient legends which preceded Christianity. The pelican is a symbol of the Passion of Jesus for Christianity and the Eucharist in the East and in the West. A copy of this pelican on the back of the crucifix, can be seen in Bălăneanu-Iancu Nou Church, Bucharest, in the form of a circular mosaic imprinted on the nave's floor.
On the back of the mosaic Theotokos, writes: "upon Thy right hand did stand the queen, embellished in a golden vestment and too beautify!" (gr-Ps:44; en-Ps:45); and on the back of the mosaic John the Apostle, writes: "thine Own of thine Own, we offer unto Thee on behalf of all and for all" (Anaphora Liturgy-Byzantine Rite). The sides of the cross are decorated with a golden interlace ornament braided on a red background. The interlace recalls the archaic motif of the braided rope as a symbol of eternal life. The red decoration signifies the blood sacrificed on the cross and the royal power of the Lord. Among the sources of inspiration are the crucifix paintings from Studenica Monastery (1208), Moldovița Monastery (1532), and the crucifixes of Cimabue and Giotto.
The cathedral's courtyard has six annexes. The most important annexes are the Saint John's House and Saint Paul's House (3.510,6 sq meters together) for clergy pilgrims with rooms, where they will take place the missionary cultural center with classrooms and seminars, a library, and exhibition spaces. To the west of the cathedral will be placed two curved porticos (2,079.6 sq meters) which marks the main entrance to the enclosure of the ensemble, and two L-shaped porticos (5,159.2 sq meters) on either side of the esplanade. Initially, four cultural buildings were planned, but later the plan was abandoned, and the two buildings at the entrance have been turned into porticos.
The esplanade of the cathedral is located above the underground gallery called St.Andrew's Cave and implicitly has the same area of 15,581 square meters. The esplanade without porticos, the free side has 11,600 sq meters, where over 23,000 people can gather. One of the L-shaped portico includes the pangar of the cathedral, and the other portico includes the place where the candles burn. Behind the cathedral on the left, there will be a five hectare park, where a monument dedicated to the Ascension of Christ will be arranged. Part of the earth excavated at the foundation of the cathedral will be used for this monument.
The cathedral has two large underground galleries. In the underground chapel a total of 5,000 people can attend the holy liturgy at the same time, and in the large polyvalent gallery under the cathedral esplanade called St.Andrew's Cave can be accommodate over 10,000 people. The underground chapel has two levels, which are connected to the main hall by colonnades, arcades and stairs, and has 7,200 square meters with 126 meters by 63 meters. The chapel hall has eleven meters high and the same dimensions (horizontally) as the main hall of the cathedral, except that it has no apse area. With annexes the underground chapel has 13,668 square meters, with 155 meters by 92 meters. The gallery St.Andrew's Cave has 15,581 square meters (including annexes) with 143 meters by 118 meters. If a person walks through the entire underground gallery of the cathedral from west to east, he has to walk 300 meters in a straight line. The two large underground galleries together have approximately 30,000 square meters. The galleries are divided into: spaces including a main hall, other halls and rooms for events; an icon and religious clothing shop; a workshop (for carpentry, upholstery and metal work for example); a museum, gallery-exhibition, liturgical performance media shop; as well as storage rooms, a refectory, religious/sacramental objects and employees rooms.
Initially instead of the underground room of St. Andrew's Cave, a car park was planned there. But this was becoming an inconvenience for the underground chapel, due to emissions from cars, the plan was abandoned. Thus, the car park will be arranged on the left side of the courtyard from the west. The St.Andrew's Cave gallery will host the Museum of Romanian Christianity. Under the cathedral chapel at a depth of 16 meters, will be arranged only technical spaces for installations. Also at this level, 42 crypts will be arranged for the patriarchs of Romania and four atomic bunkers.
The chapel will have a liturgical program for the monastery (daily). Liturgical services in the cathedral will be held on Sundays and on important holidays. The Holy Altar of the chapel is dedicated to Saint John James the Chozebite and Daniil Sihastru, because they both lived a part of their lives in the cave. Saint John James the Chozebite (Hosevite) became a monk at Neamt Monastery and soon after his conversion he moved to the Holy Land where he lived near the downstream of the Jordan river, near Jericho. Toward the end of his life, he lived in the wilderness of Choziba at the Saint George Monastery. In 1992 he was declared a saint by the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate and in 2016 he was officially recognised as such by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Church celebrates his feast day on 5 August. Daniil Sihastrul (or Daniel the Hesychast) was a renowned Romanian Orthodox spiritual guide, hermit, hegumen of Voroneț Monastery and advisor (Romanian: duhovnic) of Stephen the Great. He encouraged Stephen the Great to fight for the defense of Christendom and to build holy places, after each battle won against the invaders. Canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992, he is commemorated on 18 December.
The cathedral has the world's largest free-swinging church bell, surpassing the Saint Peter's bell (Petersglocke) in the Cologne Cathedral. With a weight of 25,190 kg, a clapper of 750 kg, a diameter of 3,355 mm, a height of 3,130 mm, thickness of 273 mm, the bell was cast on 11 November 2016 in Innsbruck by Grassmayr and is elevated to 65 meters. The casting time was 9 minutes and 23 seconds, the bell being made of 78% copper and 22% tin both 99.99% purity, and has a very low beat C3 (en) – C (de) – Do2 (ro) with 130.8 Hz. The cathedral has six bells weighing 32,243 kg, and the sound of the big bell is heard from 15 to 20 km. For the biggest bell 425,000 euros were paid, and the total value of the six bells totalled roughly 550,000 euros.
A team of 25 experts from Italy, Germany, Austria, Croatia and Romania, worked on the great bell of the People's Salvation Cathedral. The leader of the team was the Italian campanologist Flavio Zambotto. Flavio Zambotto said about the bell: "The collaboration for the bell of the Cathedral in Bucharest is my greatest professional achievement. For this bell the team worked 8 months. The bell is made of the premium alloys, at the highest standards. Work was done in the smallest details, and at a purity of 99.99%, the acoustic tolerance is 0%. I had the honor of working at some famous bells and every bell is like a son to me. But the bell of the Cathedral in Bucharest is magnificent, among the best in the world. All acoustic parameters are superlative. The sound is sober, very strong, long and it marks you."
The sound of the big bell in the People's Salvation Cathedral of Bucharest was chosen especially to resemble the sound of the famous bell Pummerin in Saint Stephen's Cathedral of Vienna, though compared to Pummerin, the Bucharester bell sounds longer and is lower and stronger. The big bell will be rung only on major holidays and declared national days. The sounds of the six bells span two complete octaves.
On 23 November 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarch arrived in Romania to lead the consecration of the People's Salvation Cathedral which was planned on Sunday 25 November; the Ecumenical Patriarch was officially welcomed by Patriarch Daniel of Romania. In his welcoming speech, Patriarch Daniel talked about the "spiritual connection between the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Mother-Church, and the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daughter-Church"
On 24 November, at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest, during the meeting of the synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniel of Romania made a speech to the Ecumenical Patriarch, thanking him for the cooperation between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. During the same meeting, the Ecumenical Patriarch made a speech to the Romanian Orthodox synod, stating that he was "sure the Romanian Orthodox Church will be involved in preserving the church unity and justice."
On Sunday 25 November, the Ecumenical Patriarch with Patriarch Daniel of Romania and Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras consecrated together the People's Salvation Cathedral with myrrh and holy water. At the big event, the consecration was held in the presence of 60 bishops by Romania and other Orthodox countries, together with 40 hegumens and protopopes, to mark the Centenary of Romania.
The Ecumenical Patriarch chaired the first liturgy of the Romanian People's Salvation Cathedral. Both the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the Patriarch Daniel of Romania led the church service this day; it was the very first church service in the cathedral. During his homily at the cathedral, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said he was "connected" to Patriarch Daniel of Romania with his "old personal, pure and sincerely tested friendship, but also with the unshaken, brotherly love in Christ and good understanding." On 26 November, Patriarch Bartholomew went back to Istanbul. Thousands of people travelled from all parts of the country to attend the consecration, disregarding the cold weather and waiting times to get a chance to enter the cathedral. Although they travelled hundreds of kilometres to participate in the consecration of the National Cathedral, the cathedral appeared to them as a chimney shrouded in fog, which they had to look at from afar, climbing on fences and surrounded by the gendarmes.
The Ecumenical Patriarch and Patriarch Daniel signed the Document of Consecration. The presence of Patriarch Bartholomew and the absence of Patriarch Kiril of Moscow at the cathedral inauguration "appears to suggest that Romania is siding with Constantinople in the dispute." To the questions: "Will Patriarch Kiril in Romania come to the sanctification of the painting?" and "How will the presence of His Holiness Bartholomew I affect the relationship between the ROC [Romanian Orthodox Church] and the Russian Patriarchate [Russian Orthodox Church]?", the Romanian Patriarchate spokesman Vasile Bănescu answered: "I am absolutely convinced that Patriarch Kiril will return to Romania on the occasion of the sanctification of the painting and will not withdraw because the ROC had the wisdom to plead for a dialogue to heal the wound of this separation between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia. [...] We hope that this relationship, currently interrupted, will be resumed. The Romanian Patriarchate has a natural relationship with the Moscow Patriarchate and there are no tensions at the moment".
On 31 May 2019, Pope Francis arrived in Romania, visiting the cathedral the same day. Pope Francis expressed the hope that "Romania can always be a home of all, a place of meeting, a garden in which reconciliation and communion flourish." The pope emphasized brotherhood and communion among all who prayed to the same Heavenly Father. He said: "Each time we pray, we ask that our trespasses, our debts, be forgiven. This takes courage, for it means that we must forgive the trespasses of others, the debts that others have incurred in our regard. We need to find the strength to forgive our brother or sister from the heart (Mt 18:35), even as you, Father, forgive our trespasses: to leave the past behind us and, together, to embrace the present. Help us, Father, not to yield to fear, not to see openness as a threat, to find the strength to forgive each other and move on, and the courage not to settle for a quiet life but to keep seeking, with transparency and sincerity, the face of our brothers and sisters... I come as a pilgrim desirous of seeing the Lord's Face in the faces of my Brothers."
Often in the national media, critics associate the People's Salvation Cathedral and the Palace of the Parliament, the two colossuses of Romania's capital that share the same courtyard. As the largest Orthodox church in the world, next to the world's heaviest and second largest administrative building in the world, French newspaper Le Figaro, named it "a pharaonic project", "worthy of the megalomania of Nicolae Ceaușescu". A Romanian newspaper said that the People's Salvation Cathedral will be the most expensive building built in the country after the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Another Romanian newspaper said that the politicians of the Romanian government depend on support from the Romanian Patriarchate in the election campaign, and estimates that when the cathedral will be fully completed, the value of the cathedral in the real estate market will be over €1 billion. A Romanian journalist called the cathedral a "God mall".
The biggest construction project in Romania since the revolution, the cathedral was initially announced to be built with the Romanian Orthodox Church's money. It was later discovered that the church had used its influence and the government had decided to promulgate law no. 563/2007 that allows the allocation of unspecified amounts of public funds to the cathedral's building. Aside from money from the Romanian Government allocated to the Cathedral through the State Secretariat for Cults (SSC), city halls have also contributed to the total budget. For instance, after a meeting between the Mayor of Bucharest at that time, Gabriela Firea and Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, an agreement which mentioned the Bucharest City Hall would allocate money to the cathedral's construction was signed but never mentioned to the public. One independent publication finds the total amount of public money (earned by the state from the people) to be at 120 mil euro.
The criticism is mostly related to the primary use of public funds from the state as opposed to the Church's own, the lack of proper auctioning processes and instead direct acquisitions/selections, the lack of transparency in regards to the way public funds were spent, erroneous communication and the chosen construction companies being closely related to church members.
The Romanian Orthodox Church's answer to such criticism was that the new cathedral would not imitate the gigantic buildings of the communist era, but would "correct them, through a decent and harmonious volumetry". The presence of the cathedral in the area with the Parliament of Romania, the Ministry of National Defense and the Romanian Academy, is seen as a dialogue and necessity for the benefit of the national homeland.