“Holy Trinity” Metropolitan Cathedral – Orthodox Cathedral
Church
About
"Sfânta Treime" Orthodox Cathedral was built during 1902-1906, on the spot of a Greek church that served until then as an episcopal cathedral. The construction was done during the period of Emperor Franz Josef, cared for by Metropolitan Ioan Mețianu.
The idea to build an Orthodox cathedral in Sibiu belonged to Bishop Andrei Șaguna of Transylvania, who, on October 5th, 1857, requested the Emperor Franz Joseph I permission to organize an offertory towards building the construction. The first benefactor was Șaguna himself, who announced on December 4th, 1857 that he donated 2.000 Florins. Emperor Franz Joseph I himself donated 1000 gold pieces, thus becoming one of the founders of the monumental cathedral.
The civil works finally amounted to 912.197 Crowns and 24 Fillers, plus the expenses for the purchase of the sanctified tabernacles, ornaments, crosses and books.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Sibiu was sanctified on April 30th/May 13th, 1906, on the Sunday of the Samaritan, by Metropolitan Ioan Mețianu, alongside the Bishop of Arad, Ioan Papp, and a great synod of priests and deacons. Numerous believers attended the sanctification service.
The cathedral is 53,10 m long and 25,40 m width at the centre, the dome is 24,70 m high (34,70 m on the outside) and 15 m in diameter, while the towers are 43 m high (45 m crosses included).
On the outside, the building is adorned with colourful brick, five rows of yellow brick alternating with three rows of red brick. The entrance of the cathedral is a portico with three semi-circle openings. Behind the portico, between the towers, there is an ample pediment, with a light well decorated with mosaic medallions, representing Jesus and the four evangelists. The five mosaic pieces are manufactured in Munich, according to the drawings of Ludovic Kandler.
The furniture of the cathedral was manufactured in Bucharest and Sibiu. The carving of the altarpiece, bishop’s throne, liturgical objects was done by sculptor Constantin (C.M.) Babic of Bucharest, and the pulpit, the two lecterns for the parish clerks, the tetrapod in the middle of the cathedral, 28 lecterns for the priests and 82 for church goers were manufactured by master Emil Pătruțiu of Sibiu. The altarpiece is made of gilded lime wood.
The titular saint of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Sibiu is "Sfânta Treime” (the “Holy Trinity”).
