BUCHAREST ANGLICAN CHURCH OF RESURRECTION

The Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Bucharest is a beautiful small church in the center of Bucharest. Since we live in the Romanian capital, we see it almost daily and it always gives us a good mood. For foreign tourists it is a surprise to find the Anglican Church of Resurrection just a few steps from one of the important boulevards of Bucharest, Magheru Boulevard. The church is close to Romana Square and Icon’s garden. In 1900 Romanian authorities gave the land on whigh the church stands today to the British Crown as a gift.  

THE HISTORY OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN BUCHAREST

The history of the Anglican Church in Bucharest goes back in the first half of the 19th century. Thus, until 1860 it was known as the Anglican Mission to the Jews and had the purpose to convert Jews to the Christian protestant religion. This mission had as headquarters other building in Bucharest which became hospital for the World War One wounded. 

QUEEN MARY OF ROMANIA AND THE BUCHAREST ANGLICAN CHURCH

An important role in building the nowadays Anglican Church of Resurrection in Bucharest belonged to Queen Mary of Romania. She was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and was married with King Ferdinand, the second great king of the country. Queen Mary supported a fund-raising campaign in order the anglican community to get the money and build the church. The efforts started in 1907. In 1911 there were 100,000 lei( the Romanian currency) ready for the building of the Anglican Church of Resurrection in Bucharest.

According to official documents – Unique history of the Anglican Church of Resurrection – the Bishop of Gibraltar gave the Holy Table while Princess Marie used 15,000 lei from King Carol I charitable funds for the new church. The workers finished the exterior of the building in 1914. The community ordered the interior furnishings from United Kingdom, that is why it took a long time until everything was ready. World War I was one of the main reason the Anglican Church opened with such a delay. It was after more than 50 years from the Anglican Jews Mission in Bucharest in the first half of the 19th century. The first service was held in 1920, which was the Easter Sunday.

BUCHAREST ANGLICAN CHURCH OF RESURRECTION ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of the Romanian capital is a complete kind of chaos under control. Foreign tourists can see in Bucharest neoclassical buildings like the Athenaeum and the National History Museum. Stavropoloes Church, a jewel in the center of the capital is witness of Brancoveanu style. The House of People is in stalinist architectural style. The Anglican Church of Resurrection in Bucharest is an original piece in the architecture puzzle of Bucharest. We find in the building the New-Gothic, Victorian style. The architect Victor Stephanescu draw the plans of the church. 

According to some scholars, the red bricks we see at the Anglican Church of Resurrection in Bucharest are similar to buildings in English colonies. Yet, you can see elements also in the small towns of Great Britain.

STORY OF THE CHURCH IN COMMUNISM

Built in Victorian Gothic style, the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Bucharest was closed to become a library during Communist dictatorship. Anyway, from 1940 to 1966, priests from Vienna or Malta had to come for the religious service. It was hard for a chaplain to resist in the communist Romania. Their flats were inside the building and the security forces always kept an eye on them. They even took pictures of ordinary people coming to church. More than that, employees of State Security even dared to come in searching for devices, damaging thus the walls of the church. Its architecture looks like the ITALIAN CHURCH one, and which is not far away from here. Anyway, it is the only Anglican Church that remained opened during post-war period in Eastern Europe.

Now, the chaplains appointed stay more than one year in Bucharest and the services are held in English. You can visit the Anglican Church in Bucharest in your journey around Romana Square where you can see architectural masterpieces at STORK MUSEUM, to Victory Square or to University Square and the Old City. It is located near Icon’s Garden in Bucharest.

SEE MAP…

See Church of The Resurrection Official Site