The history of Roman-Catholic Cathedral of Chișinău

Tle Cathedral is situated in the city centre of Chişinău next to the President's palace, the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Parliament Building. The church was built in 1843 and it represents an architectural monument.

The entire process of the church building lasted around 9years (1834-1843); it comprised the collection offunds, struggles for getting the state support, sequence and budget scheduling. The church building was successfully finished due to the efforts of the Bishop of Kamenets-Podolsky, Lulea Borgieusz Mackiewicz, parishioner's activities and authorities’ help.

History does not record the name of the architect of the Jirst construction project. The new project „Charlemagne-H” was approved in july 1838. Louis Henry Charlemagne (1784-1845), architect of the Academy of Saint Petersburg, representative of the later classicism style, personally contributed to this work. In 1824, together with the architect A. Mihailov, he issued an album with church drawings belonging to the classicism style. Hc was the architect of a lot o) public and private buildings in Saint Petersburg and other towns of the Russian Empire. On the 13th of March 1839, the emperor Nikolai I gave his permissionfor the Church building in Chişinău. Hc allocated financial support oj 10.000 roublesfor the church building, as well as a credit in the same amount. Later the emperor exempted the poor community from the debt.

The church building had been coordinated by a building committee that consisted of honoured parishioners. The parish priest Rev. Jgnacyi Sylwiestrowicz was the chief of the building committee. The committee consisted of the jollowing members: the permanent counscllor of the district administration of Bessarabia, Joann Taranczuk, the district architect, Joseph Haskiet, the military commandant of Chişinău, Colonel Joann Szteter, the nobleman, Antonij Jakubowicz, and the merchant of the third guild, Piotr Mienkin. Thefoundation stone was laid on the 15th of May 1840 and by the 15th of May 1841 the building oj the church carcass iv«s ready. The interior works had been done under the leadership oj Fiodor Jaworski, the chancellery chief of the Bessarabian military proconsul, who joined the committee in July 1842. He invited craftsmen from the province of Podolsky and from the German colonies of Bessarabia, as well as otherforeign artists. The big altar-piece of Our Lady with the Child was done by an Austrian artist, Piec. The ambo and altars werc done by the local woodworkers under the supervision of Mihael Scheffer, lord ofBaden. The wood, metal and gilding works had been executed by Gabriel Nusbaum, Karl Geisin and Jakub Bieljanski, an artist from the region of Podolia. The church building budget went up to more than 40.000 roubles. The altar was consecrated on the 6,h oj May 1843 in the name of Divine Providence. Josej Kesslet; the Bishop of Tiraspol, consecrated the church on the 22th of May 1908.

Cathedral Arhitecture

The cathedral was built in the style of the Russian classicism representing a three-nave basilica with a circular altar apse and it has the following dimensions: 24,7x16 m. The walls are pierced with arched Windows. The decorative elements, triglyphs and cornice cincture the exterior walls of the church therefore forming the ornamental frieze.

 Two bell towers confer monumentality to the main facade that faces the Mitropolit Dosoftei Street (former Gostynaia Street). The main entrance was ornamented on both sides with niches that culminate in shaped arches. Two bell towers were crowned with gilded low-grade domes with crosses. A gilded dome with cross was also crowning the gable of the main entrance parapet. Vie corners of the towers were set in Ionic pilasters. Above the capitals, along the perimeter of the bell towers there is a cornice. The framed outlined arches of the towers fit the arched Windows style. The cross-shaped roof was made from tin plate and painted in green, its main part ended in three stone frontons. Vie interior of the basilica is split into three naves by the two rows of six Corinthian columns. Vie central nave with a towering arched wooden ceiling that was wider than the lateral ones, finished in a semi-circular altar apse. Vie apse and the walls were framed with an ornamented cornice. The hallowed part of the church – the sanctuary – was decorated with stone arches, pilasters of the Ionic order, cornices and two extended semi-circular Windows, which later were adorned with stained glass Windows. Vie sacristy was located in two rooms additionally built on the both sides of the apse. Vie church foundation, the wall with the with of 90-100 cm, the columns that were placed at a distance 2,5-3m from each other, with the diameter of 0,75 m and height of 6,8 m, were built from different materials.

Interior of Cathedral

The initial interior works had been finished in 1848 under the supervision of the parish priest, Nikolai Cwikla. Due to the local contribution of the parishioners, it was possible to do the interior painting, to build the confessional and the new main altar. The first altar was made from wood and adorned with carving and gilt. There were two gilded pilasters with Corinthian capitals and above them there were vases with symbolic representations of the Blessed Sacrament. Above the altar there was a big framed image of the Mother of God with the Eternal Child that was adorned with fluting pilasters.

Their gilded capitals were supporting a keel arch. In the middle of the arch there was the symbol of the Divine Providence represented in a carved gilded bunch of grapes. Above one of the side nave altars, there was represented a framed Crucifixion on a red cloth. The other altar was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra. On the right side of the main altar there was the pulpit, ornamented with a skilful wooden gilded carving. The church interior decoration and design harmoniously combined the vegetative ornaments, the polychrome script on light mauve background and the wood carving. The shafts and bases of the columns were decorated with dark marble. The friezes above the columns were engraved in arabesque. The painting applied on the apse of the sanctuary was split in three parts therefore creating an illusion of wider space. The gable of the apse was adorned with Cherubs and Catherine's wheels. On the right side oj the stone arch above the vestry there were represented characters front the New Testament and on the left side front the Old Testament. The ceiling of the main nave was carved up in beautiful arches. The arabesque ornament painted between the arches, on the ceiling of the lateral naves and choir, emphasized the impression of the magnificent decor. In 1878 the parishioner Julia Dzuminska adorned the basilica with a light-grey marble altar decorated with two kneeling angels and an arch between them. Four gilded pilasters and a Gothic arch representing the Divine Providence had been kept from the previous altar. The church floor was laid with white marble. The fresco representing the Eye of Providence surrounded by rays of light was painted later on the gable of the apse. In 1895 Cezarina Doliwa-Dobrowolska donated the bells and a new organ, which had engraved on a copper plate the following statement in Polish: „Tins organ was supplied for the Glory of God". The above described church interior had been kept up to 1964, when the Soviet Government decided to close it down.

Restoration and rebuilding works project

For a quarter of century, the church u/ns used for other purposes: as a studio, music studio, later the authorities planned to rebuild it as a theatre. After years of requests from the Catholic community in 1989, along with the period of the political changes in the society, the church was returned to the faithful. The building needed major overhaul and there were no funds. Concurrently with the reactivation of the church structures that had been destroyed during the Soviet times, on the 27th of October 2001, John Paul II transformed the Apostolic Administration of the Roman Catholic Church from the Republic of Moldova (created in 1993), into the Diocese of Chişinău. He consecrated His Excellency, Anton Coşa, as first Bishop of Chişinău. Therefore, Chişinău became the residence of the Diocesan ordinary and the church of Divine Providence became the Cathedral. Taking into account the changes, a different approach to its renovation and restoration of the interior was necessary. Unfortunately, the interior was totally damaged and there was no extant documentary evidence. The Ministry ofCulture of Moldova supported the new project for the renewal of the interior decor and expansion of the church space while still preserving the historical inheritance.

Tire project for the church renovation and restoration was developed by the architectures Andrej Stefancic and Florijan Skunca in the architectural workshop of Zagreb according to the modern theological and liturgical concepts for building of sacred space. According to their views, the church represents the house of God’s family, the place of communion with God. The sacred space summons the faithful to live in a personal relationship with God and with each other. The idea of the works is directed on the communion of faithful during the mass, around the altar - the heart of the Eucharistic divine service. The expansion of the sanctuary of the former parish church, was accomplished according to the specific liturgical requirements of a Cathedral.

Contemporary architecture of the Cathedral

The project foresaw the expansion of the church by dismantling the two non-functional vestries situated on either side of the altar. The essential parts: the altar, the pulpit and the sanctuary are made of brown marble and placed in the open space of the sanctuary according to the liturgical requests. In the middle of the apse there is the Bishop's seat and the priests' seats made of white marble. The left and right wings of the sanctuary visually widen the space through the rows of the oak seats padded with expansive cloth for the servers. There are two statues placed on the consoles of the sanctuary arch, on the right side - the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the left - Our Lady of Lourdes. The two columns that were supporting the choir have been removed, thus visually widening the church space. Now, two specially reinforced lateral columns support the choir balcony. The church white walls are covered with stone panels and the sanctuary walls are covered with marble panels. The floor is laid with marble in an interesting geometrical design of white, grey, red and black colours. There were built additional rooms behind the apse: the sacristy/vestry and two smaller chapels for Services and the tabernacle. The chapels are connected to each other and the sanctuary. The expansion of the church was made enlarging the foundation and building the new rooms behind the apse.

The church facade was newly plastered and painted in three tones of ochre: white, light and dark beige. The plinth was covered with brown granite plates. The vestibule is fairly spacious with the outside double glazed wall. New black granite stairs were built and fitted with a ramp and adorned with a steel balustrade. There are specially fitted steel balustrades on the bell towers as well. The roof and the domes are covered with copper.

Mosaic

The major part of the interior decor is marked by the mosaic that occupies 70 sq. rn. of the altar apse. Vie mosaic is decorated with small pieces of coloured glass, stone, marble and gold; it was executed by Rev. Gianfranco Verri, a monk from the congregation of St. Joseph, within the „Domus Dei” workshop from Rome. It appears in the space created by the rows of columns that lead to the sanctuary. The multicoloured image attracts and at the same time it symbolically shows the theme oj the Divine Providence in the history of the Local Church and of the whole civilization.

One could feel the unlimited love for people in the outspread and strong arms of the Almighty Father, in the outstretched wings of the dove - the Holy Spirit and in the embrace of the Crucified Son. Vie One God in the Trinity wants the salvation of all people and for this He sacrificed His only Son. This vertical representation, within the artist’s meaning, helps us to perceive humanity’s Redemption. Christ -yesterday, today and tomorrow. Vie timeless perception is emphasized in the representation of the Christian symbolism and space given by the semi-circular apse.

In the gable of the apse there is Christ the Pantocrator; who traditionally symbolizes the Father's Glory, blessings and Providence. The Creation of World is a mystery of the Holy Trinity. It is amazing to notice the dynamics of the big image of the Creator, floating, embracing and protecting with outspread hands His creation. He creates the boundless galaxies, He lights the stars, planets and asteroids interweaving their perfect orbits in the cosmos' harmony. „Numbers all the stars, calls each of them by name" (Psalms, 147 (146), 4). Everything is permeated by light - „God is light". The astral world creation represents the work of Divine Providence for the goodness o) humanity „The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalms, 19(18), 1).

The acanthus cornice supports the cosmic space - the Kingdom of Heaven and as a decorative piece, it joins it with the second part of the mosaic that represents the earthly pilgrim Church. The centre of this apsidal composition is dedicated to the crucifed and living Christ, who died and rose again. Tije untraditional image of Our Saviour, crucifed on the Cross, evokes the Gospel: „And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it"(Mt 16, 18).

In the symbolic gesture, when Jesus Christ passes on the crosier to Peter, Peter's mission is emphasized as head of the church and the predecessor of all the bishops. St. Peter's crosier is connected with the blazon of the Diocese of Chişinău, which is represented at the bottom of the Cross. It also symbolically indicates the work oj the Divine Providence within the young Local Church. The flowers represented next to the blazon, at thejeet of Our Lady, symbolize the love, the respect and gratitude of Christians towards the Mother of God. The flowers also represent the blossoming of the Christian virtues and the development of the Diocese of Chişinău.

The two figures represented on either side of the Crucifixion help us to sense the main role of the Saving Cross and remind us of the role of the Church in the mystery of Salvation. On the right side, there are the apostles - the foundation stones, the shepherds of God’sflock from all times, up to the last day of the history. Above their heads there is the fire of the Pentecost Spirit that symbolizes the continuity of spreading the gift of consecration to the today's priests.

We can recognize the apostles by the iconography of their images. Peter holds the keys, given to him by the Saviour (Mt 16, 19). Two keys - double power: whatever he bound on earth should be bound on heaven and whatever he looses on earth should be loosed in heaven. Paul, who wrote: „at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2, 10), kneels and holds the Book of Letters. The sword next to him is the „holy sword that is the word of God" and at the same times it is the Symbol o) his martyrdom. John the Evangelist, the beloved disciple ofj Christ, stands with the book in his hands. He was also called the son oj Mary, as Jesus entrusted his mother to him, the stole with the letter M on his shoulders also indicates this. Apostle Andrew, the Protokletos,

Peter's brother, is represented with the cross. He had been crucified on a cross of the form called „Crux decussata” (X-shaped cross) and commonly known as „Saint Andrews Cross”. Mathew, the Evangelist, is represented with the book in his hands.

The last is the apostle Philip with a staff, the Symbol of the wandering life, reflecting the purity and spirituality of the vocation.

On the left side, next to the Crucified Son, there is Our Mother – Mary. She looks lovingly at us, holding in her arm a scale model of the Cathedral of Chişinău. The protecting position denotes her role of patroness of the young dioccse. The mosaic continues to contemplate the theme of Our Lady’s magnifîcencc, through herfree will of serving the God oj Heaven, she opened the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Virgin Mary, the fir st of the Christians, points with her hand to Jesus, the only Saviour who has opened our hearts to faith. The combination of her clothes’ colours: dark blue – the transcendent contemplation and the red colour - the ardent Iove for God, both of them reveal generosity and truth, beauty and goodness, earth and heavens. The golden halo, the belt and the stars on the clothes, symbolize the shine of the God's Glory in which she lives. At the back, next to Our Lady, there is the humble and confident St. Joseph the Betrothcd, the protector of the Universal Church.

The Mother of God is the patroness of the Christian people of Moldova. There is also the young Christian family with two children wearing the tradiţional naţional costumes specific to the XX century. At the back, we could notice Stephen the Great, the king of Moldova. He was acclaimcd to be the „athlete of Christ" by the Pope Sixt IV (1414-1484) and he is honoured as a saint in the Orthodox Church. There are also to be noticcd a Catholic priest, a worker, a nun and other believers.

The angels arc represented between the heavens and earth on the both sides of the mosaic. They remind us that the protecting angels also represent thegift oj the Providence. The light lines that connect the heavens with the earth are analogical to the obits. On one hand, they symbolize the support oj the Divine Providence towards its creation and on the other hand, the glory and gratitude, the requests and prayers brought to Our God by his children.

The mosuic conveys important events. At the forefront there is the symbolic representation of the Eucharist that represents the heart and the crown of the Church. Only through the Holy Conmuinion, could the Church develop itsclj and liveforever. The Eucharistic cmblem of thc fish is connected to the prototypes of repasts in thegospels: thefeeding of the pcople with loaves and fish (Mk 6, 34-44; Mk 8, 1-9), the repast of Christ and disciples on the Sea ofTiberias after Easter Day (Jn 21,9-13), all of them covered by the Eternul Mystery. The representation of the fish, the baskets with loaves and the wine are directly tied with Jesus Christ. The jamous acrostic consisting of the iniţial letters offive Greek words forming the word for fish (îchthys), briejly and clearly describes the character of Christ and the claim to worship ofbelievers. In the New Testament, the symbolic fish is also connected to the sermons of the former fishermen and later, of the apostles. Christ calls them „fishers ofmen” (Mt 4, 19;

Mk 1, 17), and „the kingdom oj heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collectsfish ofevery kind” (Mt 13, 47).

This fragment epitomizes the Holly Scripture. It reminds us the words of the Mothcr of Jesus said to the servers in Cana in Galilee: „Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2, 5), words that are also directed to the Church of Moldova. Traditionally the Holy Scripture is connected with the water. The water also symbolizes the spiritual food and redemption, Jesus said to the woman of Samaria: „but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst” (Jn 4, 14). Water is the symbol of resumption, purity and holiness.

Stained Glass

The Stained Glass of the Cathedral was also executed by Rev. Gianfranco Verri, within the „Domus Dei” workshopfrom Rome. He symbolically developed the theme of the Divine Providence that takes care of all the creation and its role in the history of salvation. On the top, we could see the God’s hand that symbolizes the creation and Father's care towards all created: fish, birds, flowers or springs. The dove personalizes the spirit oflife and the creation of water; it is the Symbol of the Holy Spirit, the Baptism, the Annunciation, purity and peace. We could see the shell with the pearls symbolizing the Kingdom ofHeaven offered by God. He set his bow in the clouds to serve a sign of the covenant between him and the earth (Gn 9,13), – the Symbol offaith, forgiveness, communion and reconciliation. The omnipresence of God is represented in the images of the evangelists, precisely in their personifications: the lion – St. Mark, the angel – St. Mathew, the ox – St. Luke and the eagle – St. John. Thefours creatures ith the face of a man, lion, ox and eagle arrying the throne of God (Ez 1, 4-12), described in the Old Testament, represent four Evangelists. An important moment a history is described on the stained glass with the „Jacob's Dream”. God promises give to Jacob and his descendents the land on which he is lying which is nothing but the „abode of God” and „gateway to heaven” (Gn 28, 12-17). The Divine Providence is present in the Gospels and cially in the Church that is symbolically represented by the boat. This stained glass says that the Church is the only place of redemption for the Christians. mg the other symbols on the stained we could notice the Christian gifts. deer represents the gift ofpiety, the sheep – the gift offear, humbleness – the istian symbol of the flock sometimes ii be misunderstood therefore it is a spiritual leadership „Feed my Lnnbs” – said Jesus Christ (Jn 21,15).

The source of information the book: Moldova. Locuri și monumente sacre știute = Moldova : Sacred places and monuments well-known and less-known = Молдова : Святые места и памятники известные и малоизвестные : Dedicată celei de-a 165-a aniversării a sfințirii Catedralei Romano-Catolice din Chișinău / aut.-alcăt.: Nelea Saganova. – Chișinău : Ștrih SRL, 2008. – 144 p.