Columns and dome
Four matching fronts.
Agenția de Inspectare și Restaurare a Monumentelor din Republica Moldova — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pelin Oleg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Agenția de Inspectare și Restaurare a Monumentelor din Republica Moldova — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Agenția de Inspectare și Restaurare a Monumentelor din Republica Moldova — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Intero Tillen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Intero Tillen — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Cathedral of Christ's Nativity is the main Orthodox cathedral of Moldova, in Cathedral Park at the heart of Chișinău. It is a neoclassical building with white columns and a large dark dome, with a tall white bell tower beside it and the Triumphal Arch in front. The idea came from Metropolitan Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni, and the cathedral was built between 1832 and 1836 to a design by the architect Avraam Melnikov. The bell tower was pulled down in 1962 and the cathedral became an exhibition hall in the Soviet era, before returning to worship. A new bell tower went up in 1997. On 8 October 1939 the city's first radio station began broadcasting with the liturgy from here. The building has four similar columned fronts, with a dome on a windowed drum above. You walk the neat park among trees and flower beds, with the bell tower and the arch on the street side. This is a working church, so dress modestly, go in quietly and do not take photos during services. The cathedral is in central Chișinău, 200 m from the Triumphal Arch and 400 m from Stephen the Great Central Park. Entry is free. In busy parts of the centre, keep your belongings safe from pickpockets.
Four matching fronts.
Rebuilt in 1997.
Trees and flowers downtown.
Cathedral Park, by Great National Assembly Square, central Chișinău
Triumphal ArchThe Triumphal Arch of Chișinău is a sand-coloured stone arch in the city centre,3 minutes walk
Stephen the Great Central ParkStephen the Great Central Park is the main park in central Chișinău and the olde6 minutes walk
Old Water TowerThe Chișinău Water Tower is a 19th-century stone tower with many-sided storeys a15 minutes walkYes: cover shoulders and knees, and women usually cover their hair.
Yes, entry is free.