The interior mosaic
Among the largest executed in modern times.
MIHAIL — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MIHAIL — CC BY 4.0 · Ştefan Jurcă from Munich, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Usotifurhj — CC BY-SA 4.0
The People's Salvation Cathedral stands directly behind the Palace of the Parliament, and is the largest Orthodox church in the world by interior volume and the tallest: its dome rises more than a hundred and twenty metres. Construction began in 2010 after more than a century of stalled attempts — the idea of a national cathedral was first raised in the nineteenth century, after Romanian independence — and it was partly consecrated in 2018 for the centenary of the country's unification, with finishing work still going on. The building is contested inside Romania itself: its large public cost in a poor country, its deliberate siting opposite Ceaușescu's monument, and a scale that some read as a political rather than a religious statement. Whatever the view, the size does not come across in photographs — and the interior mosaic is among the largest executed in modern times. **Entry is free**, and it is a working place of worship requiring modest dress.
Among the largest executed in modern times.
The cathedral and Ceaușescu's monument face to face.
Behind the Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest
MNAC — the National Museum of Contemporary ArtThe National Museum of Contemporary Art occupies the west wing of the **Palace o6 minutes walk4.1
Palace of the ParliamentThe heaviest building on Earth and its second-largest administrative one after t6 minutes walk4.3
National Museum of Romanian HistoryThe old Postal Palace on Calea Victoriei keeps the country's memory from the Sto17 minutes walk4.3
The Dimitrie Leonida Technical MuseumThe national technical museum stands in Carol I Park south of the centre, founde18 minutes walk4.3
Cișmigiu GardenThe oldest public garden in Bucharest and the one with the largest presence in t18 minutes walk4.3Visiting is ordinary and welcome, and the rules are few. Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered, and at some monasteries women are asked for a head covering, which is provided at the door. Quiet is expected, and photography is often forbidden inside the church or forbidden with flash — look for the sign. No participation in the rites is expected of you: do not kiss the icons or light candles if you would rather not, and nobody will notice. If a service is in progress, stand aside or come back later.