The Holy Trinity Church

The Holy Trinity Church

Monastery / Church


Address

Strada Ion Maiorescu 1, Craiova, Romania

About

The Holy Trinity Church is located on Ion Maiorescu Street, no. 9 (formerly Barbu Ştirbei), in front of the Carol I National College. It was founded by Dumitrana Ştirbei, the widow of Constantin Ştirbei, between 1765-1768. The fact that the building of the church began in 1765 is mentioned in a document of dated in December 15, 1765, which states that: "Dumitrana Ştirbei built a church near her houses in Craiova."
The church was built outside the city, right on the edge of Craiova, in order to have the necessary space for its "courtyard". The landlords' courtyards around the churches formed at first the first outskirts of the city, later becoming the most developed area and the centre of Craiova.
Dumitrana Ştirbei endowed the church; in 1782 she ordered a chandelier with 24 candlesticks from Sibiu and painted the church. Barbu Ştirbei, son of Dumitrana brought the painter from Sibiu. A bell with the following inscription “this bell was made by landlady Dumitrana Ştirboaica who placed it at the shrine of the patron saint in Craiova“ was brought in 1790. After 1811, according to the requests stipulated in Barbu Ştirbei’s will, cells were built here.
In 1821, the Arnauts who came from Bucharest to fight against Tudor Vladimirescu were imprisoned in this church, causing great damage, the building needing reparation afterwards. In 1823, the roof was restored, the church being covered with "tiny splinter, well done and beaten in four".
No major damage occurred following the earthquake in 1838. In 1840, the church was restored by Barbu Ştirbei (the future ruler of Wallachia) and the inscription mentioning its first founders was made. A new repair was made in 1890 and between 1901 and 1906 it was demolished and rebuilt according to the plans of the architect André Lecomte de Nouy, who also rebuilt the church of Saint Dumitru from Craiova.
Anton C. Brăiloiu (Prefect of Dolj) was one of the churchwardens that administered the possessions of this church but, due to a disagreement with Ştirbei, was replaced with Major Alfred de Marentzeler (Austrian Catholic confession). He also repaired the church, demolished the cells built after 1811 and arranged a beautiful garden on their place. During the First World War, the President of the Craiova Court of Appeal, Mihalache Măinescu was named as churchwarden.
Dumitrache Bibescu and his wife, Catinca Văcărescu, are buried in the church.
In 1890, the attempt to build a hospital from the church's funds unfortunately failed. However, a medical dispensary for the poor was temporary installed in the houses near the church, and after 1940, was placed in a permanent location.

Sources:
http://www.monumenteoltenia.ro/ansamblul-bisericii-sfanta-treime-craiova/
http://www.ziarullumina.ro
https://adriandobrephotography.wgz.ro
http://memorielocala.aman.ro/files/biserici.html

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