The Saint Joseph Cathedral is by far one of the most beautiful churches in Bucharest - and Romania - and most likely the most important Roman Catholic in the country. A splendid mix of Roman style with certain Gothic elements, carefully chosen and introduced, the result being a combination of massivity, elegance and beauty. This church made out of red bricks, who give it a certain charm and make it easily recognisible, is one of the landmarks of the city, not only for Catholics, but for all. Even those who don't come here for religious service are impressed by the beautiful architecture, and especially by the rich interior decorations, quiteness and peace. But you could also attend the religious service, even just for the experience, for it is one that cannot easily be forgotten.
The beautiful Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest eas built in 1873 - 1884 by the Bishop Ignatius Paoli, who would eventually become the first archbishop of Bucharest. The plans were designed by a famous architect of that time, Friedrich Schmidt, from Vienna. Closely following the needs and advice of the Bishop, Schmidt managed to combine the above named influences and techniques into a massive and impressive structure, of great beauty and equilibrium, 40 meters long and 22 meters wide, more than distinct among the buildings of those times. For, if we are today amazed by the architecture and careful decorations of the cathedral, imagine how this might have looked at the end of the 19th century in Bucharest.
But for a project of this magnitude, the Bishop needed a lot of money, and couldn't rely on no one but his believers and friends. But God must have wanted this cathedral to rise, for Paoli managed to raise the whole sum - and it wasn't a small one - from friends, Catholics from Bucharest, some high ranking officials and merchants, as well as from donations made by foreigners or friends. The actual building was supervised by Alfons Zegers, a Dutch monk and architect, who had been called all the way from Ireland to help Bishop Paoli in this endeavour. Starting with 1880, the works were supervised by the architect Carol Berisch. To ensure the best quality and resistence of the structure, the best materials of those days were used. The rock was brought to Romania from the stone career of Russe, in Bulgaria - which was a costly effort - while the bricks were bought from Bucharest and nearby villages, all the time only quality being regarded as important.
It was a major project, very important both for the Catholic Church and the city of Bucharest, who was about to enrich it's heritage of architectural landmarks. The actual construction began with the altar's apse, after difficult works to enforce and rise the soil. Due to the lack of funds in various times and especially due to the War of Independence of 1877 - 1878, it took much longer that it was predicted. The building was finished in 1883, in autumn. The official opening and consecration of the Saint Josef Cathedral took place of February 15th 1885, and the mass was held by the now Archbishop Ignatiu Paoli.
The big altar inside of the Cathedral was made in Rome, out of white Carrara marble, after the plans of Friedrich Schmidt, being put together in Bucharest.
The inside of the cathedral was impressive, in no small part due to the original stained glass windows, unfortunatelly destroyed during the bombings of April Fourth 1944. These stained glass scenes were made by the Mayer Company in Munich, and according to the documents were real works of art. The same company also made the eight large paintings with scenes from the life of Saint Josef and the Holy Family, the seven medalions placed inside the church, a mosaic depicting the Holy Virgin and the two angels placed above the central portal of the cathedral, as well as several sculptures inside. All with the care, talent and ingenuity that were needed, and the inside of the cathedral became a sacred and artistic place. Also, the decorative paintings were most impressive, done by Georg Roder, an artist from Munich and by Fr Elsner. Some Italian masters, the Aterio brothers, decorated the columns and other elements.
It would be a very long time after the war for the original stained glass windows to be replaced. It was only in 1980 that the Saint Joseph Cathedral had a brand new set of windows, created and made by Natalia and Ion Brodeala. And as you can see, whenever you visit the church, they are astounding, the work of a master. In 1985 other two stained glass windows were finished by Dorin Danila. The cathedral has no less that six large bells, of great quality, and their "voices" are heard a long way around. But the best of the cathedral, in musical terms, is the organ used here, one of the best in Romania. It has an electrical pneumatic system, no less than three keyboards, 3375 tubes. It was built and installed by the L. Wegenstein company, from Timisoara, in 1930. The previous organ, much smaller, was installed in 1892 by the Merklin company from Paris.
Over it's troubled history the Saint Josef Cathedral has been through a lot, being severely damaged in several earthquakes (the last being the one of 1990), and also from the American bombings of April 1944 and the German ones of August 1944. It was only in 1991 that complex and costly works of reconsolidation were undertaken. Lately, the Saint Josef Cathedral has been in the spotlights of the massmedia, due to the building of a tall office buildings near the church, which will not only take away some of it's beauty, but also threatens to affect seriously it's foundations. How this crisis will end, we do not know yet.
A major landmark in the history of Bucharest, the Saint Josef Cathedral is a place of worship, an architectural beauty and a symbol of Catholic faith in Romania, which had stood the hardships of political regimes and is still very much alive today. This cathedral is often visited by those who, despite the fact that they aren't catholics, feel good discovering it's beauty and peace. A place you have to visit whenever you can, for it won't easily be forgotten.
Photo : ici.ro
2007-12-14
