Cathedral

The Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Descent of the Holy Spirit was built between 1843-1854 in neoclassical style by architect L. Oettinger. After the consecration, Bishop Alexandru Dobra (1853-1870) took care of the interior of the parish church in Lugoj, which later became the episcopal cathedral. The original painting was made in 1868 by the painter Moritz Breyer, being restored between 1929-1934 by the academician painter Prof. Virgil Simonescu and extended according to the plans and at the expense of the bishop Alexandru Nicolescu. The technique used was the tempera, according to the recipes and colors, respectively the materials given by a profile factory in Düsseldorf (Germany). The inauguration of the restored painting took place on 7 October 1934 in the presence of King Carol II and the members of the government. Confiscated by the Communist regime in 1948 and given to the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Cathedral was restituted to the Diocese of Lugoj on 21 January 1990 by decision of the Orthodox Metropolitan Nicolae Corneanu, being the first Greek Catholic cathedral returned to its original owners in the country. Text and photo sources: https://ro.wikipedia.org/; http://vestour.ro/; https://www.facebook.com/episcopia.lugoj/

The Metropolitan Cathedral, located in Victory Square, is the largest place of worship in Timișoara, declared a monument of art due to its architecture, painting and sculpture. The need to build this cathedral appeared in the political context of the Great Union of 1918. Starting that moment, Orthodoxy started to be encouraged: thus, in 1926 the old parish from the Cetate Neighbourhood was established again, and in 1939 the Timişoara Bishopric, which later became the Mitropoly of Banat, was established. The project of the impressive cathedral was entrusted to architect Ioan Traianescu, and the cornerstone of the building was laid in 1936. The consecration service was performed by Bishop Andrei Magieru. The bells and crossed of the Cathedral were sanctified in 1938, and the inauguration of the halidom took place in 1946, in the presence of King Michael I of Romania and Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu. The finishing work, interior and exterior paintings were only completed in 1956, as they were delayed by the World War II. From the architectural stand point, one may note the combination of the Romanian religious tradition with the Byzantine and Moldavian one. Because of the marshland, the building stands on a concrete slab supported by over 1,000 concrete pillars, sunk 20 meters deep. The exterior walls are decorated with red and yellow-orange brick, while the building is covered with glazed tiles, the colours of the Romanian flag, on a green background. It is the highest church in Romania (90.5 meters). The total built area is 1,542 meters. The Cathedral has eleven towers, of which the highest reaches 83,7 meters. The seven bells have a total weight of 8,000 kg. They were tuned by the famous composer Sabin Drăgoi. The Cathedral houses the relics of St.Joseph the New of Partoș, considered the protector of the Romanian Orthodox community from Banat, former bishop of Timișoara between 1651 and 1655. The necropolis of the Bishops of Banat lies in the basement, on the side facing the altar. In the basement, the visitor may find a rich collection of old religious art from the area of Banat and a valuable collection of icons. The museum owns 3,000 rare religious books, over 800 icons and paintings, and more than 130 ecclesiastical objects. Early Romanian manuscripts can be found here as well: the New Testament from Bălgrad (1648) and Cazania lui Varlaam (Varlaam's Homily) (1643). Text source: https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Serbian Cathedral, dedicated to the Ascension, is located in Union Square, across from the Roman-Catholic Dome. The entrance to the cathedral is on Emanoil Ungureanu St., parallel to the Square, the place of worship being located with the altar facing the East. Next is the Serbian Orthodox Bishopric of Timișoara. The Serbian Cathedral was built of stone and brick between 1745-1748, during the time of the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Timişoara, Gheorghie Popovici. From the architectural point of view, the building was designed in Baroque style, with Classicist elements, and the interior is exceptionally painted by Constantin Daniel, nicknamed the "Tizian of Banat". The woodwork of the cathedral was executed by the Ianici brothers. The iconostasis can itself be considered a masterpiece. Because of political reasons, the church towers could only be raised in 1791, during a restoration. The Cathedral was declared a historical monument in 1964. Text and photo sources: http://www.opiniatimisoarei.ro/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Roman-Catholic Episcopal Church, located at 12 Union Square, is an emblematic building of Timișoara, also known as the St.George Cathedral. The construction was carried out between 1731 and 1774, by architect Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. The cornerstone was laid on August 6, 1754 by the Bishop of Cenad, Adalbert von Falkenstein. The consecration of the Cathedral intended for the bishops of Cenad took place on April 24, 1803, and it was performed by Bishop Ladislaus Köszeghy de Remete. From the architectural point of view, the Roman-Catholic Church was built in Baroque style. Because of the marshland, the building is reinforced by wooden pillars. Its size is impressive: it has a length of 55 meters, width of 22, the height of the nave is 16.90 meters, and that of the towers is 35.5 meters. The first bells were cast in 1763, and the clock was installed in 1764. Nine altars may be admired once inside, all sculpted by Viennese artist Johan Müller, in Baroque and Rococo styles, as well as a painting of Michelangelo Unterberger, "St. George on horseback fighting the dragon", dating back to 1754; the icons and old statues, the oak carved doors, the side altars painted by German painter Johann Adam Schöpf and the organ in Louis XVI style. The first Baroque organ was built in 1767 by Viennese Paul Hanke, and the current one was manufactured in Timişoara, in 1908. In 1756, the Cathedral was raised to the rank of first church of Timişoara, by decree of Empress Maria Theresa. Over time, the Roman-Catholic Cathedral has undergone difficult times. Thus, between 1788 and 1790, during the battles between the Turks and the Austrians, the Cathedral was turned into a salt warehouse. During the siege of 1849, i.e. the Hungarian revolution, the building was seriously damaged. Currently, the mass is celebrated every Sunday and on important holidays, always in 3 languages: Romanian, Hungarian and German. The Holy Pontifical Mass, performed by the Bishop, also contain parts in Latin, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech and Slovakian. The Roman-Catholic Cathedral is open to visitors Monday through Sunday. Text and photo sources: https://www.facebook.com/Episcopia-Romano-Catolică-Timișoara; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/