The "Birth of Saint John the Baptist" Orthodox Cathedral is a monument of baroque architecture, located in Arad. The edifice was built between 1862-1865 under the direction of a local architect named Anton Ziegler.
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After the former church had been demolished, bishop Procopius Ivaşcovici (1853-1873) initiated the construction of a representative sanctuary in the so-called “Tekelija Garden”. The design belonged to architect Anton Ziegler.
The works took place between 1862-1865. The facade of the church is worked in classical Baroque style and finished with a triangular tympanon. In 1966, the main façade was decorated with three beautiful mosaics.
The bell dating from 1764 was brought from the old demolished church. In the buildings annexed to the Church, the Orthodox Theology Seminar functioned for a while, whereas today, they house some of the offices of the Diocese.
Architecture
The attic was added during the restoration which took place in 1905-1906, at the same time when the ornamentation for the towers was completed. The iconostasis was made by Mihai Ianici, the paintings belonging to Nicola Alexici and Ioan Zaicu. The bell was taken from the former Orthodox church.
In 1966, three outdoor paintings in Byzantine style were made by the painter Eremia Profeta. The two towers of the façade, fitted with a clock on each side, were lifted in 1904.
The Cathedral is a beautiful example of classical neo-Baroque style, influenced by the western church rite architecture from the 19th century, rather than by the architecture of contemporary Orthodox churches.
Due to the gradual transformation of the city’s urban structure, this location became less central, thus another Cathedral was built, in a major square at the end of Revolution Bulevard.
Curiosities
Between 1962-1973, here served the Bishop of Arad, Teoctist Arăpașu, as a priest, who later became Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Similar tourist attractions
The Romanian Evangelical Lutheran Church came into being at the end of the Great War (1914-1918), its founders being the evangelical lutheran community from the regions of Transylvania and Banat.
The Church of the Minorites Order, located in the centre of Arad, was built in 1902-1903 on the former site of a Baroque church, according to a project developed by architect Emil Tabacovits.
The oldest building in Arad, The Serbian Church was built between 1699-1702, its cost covered by Iovan Popovici Tekelija. The building was restored by architect Miloș Cristea, during 2002-2008.
