Greek Church Annunciation, Dobrogea

Greek Church Annunciation - details and images

"Annunciation" Greek Church is one of the oldest churches in Northern Dobrogea.

On April 13, 1863, Public Education and Religious Affairs Minister, Cristian Tell, Braila prefect after surgery, George Iorgulescu, Braila City Council ordered the Greek community to provide a church that works in Greek, because of the one thousand six hundred ships coming year in the city was half Greek.

Permission was finally on 15 May 1863 by Prince Al Romania. I. Cuza and so on 8 September the same year he held the job of making the foundation stone. In 1863, during implementation of the foundation works of the church, one of the founders had a dream, which resulted in the discovery of a natural spring with healing properties Healing Spring day. It was regarded as divine signs, the fountain is closing in a fountain, and above the Holy Shrine building.

The spring is located at a depth of 15 meters and is only healer Healing Spring day, when holy water and surface water gushing fountain reach two meters. Only on this day priests open fountain and many patients come from all over the country to receive the holy water with hope and faith that will heal.

The front crypt, where there is spring, we have the following inscription that read: "Greek Community of Braila laid the cornerstone of the Annunciation Greek Church on September 8, 1863." Architect Annunciation church in Prussia was Avram Ioannidis. It has developed a prodigious church glowing cross inscribed with a high steeple on the church facade, which was built by master Constantinos Nicolaou. The bell tower was built on August 13, 1872.

The 1940 earthquake collapsed building upper belfry which was built then lower. The first dome collapsed on 18 January 1868, of unknown causes and ministries have been discontinued for a period of one year to investigate what happened. Ioannidis community requested permission on 13 February 1869 goes to Budapest to investigate the causes which collapsed the dome.

Something similar has been built in the same period in Constantinople. It is the Holy Trinity Greek Church Taxim (1867-1880), architect work Vasilios Ioannidis. Vasilios Ioannidis architect, who designed Trinity Church (1867-1880) in Taxim, it is possible to be a relative of Abraham Ioannidis. The church building is the largest post-Byzantine architecture in Constantinople and shows elements similar to the church in Braila (1863-1872).

Braila church looks grand prestige and authority when dynamic community. Ioannidis was the contractor and the church. Construction materials were procured from abroad, and the works were done largely by Italian craftsmen. Thus, we can mention Ferdinando Iasevoli sculptor who made the capitals and the interior decorations of the church. Iasevoli have worked with other Italian masters, as shown by the fact that on 24 June 1870 Giovani ask the community to host family. Iasevoli After his death in 1872, the works were completed by his apprentice, Gioachimo Brolca. The church has also worked German architect of the Danube Commission, Schwab and Oscar Adolph Schuman's help, which had its office in Galati.

By the end of the church community has built a temporary wooden chapel where imbisericeau believers. The works were completed by 1 October 1872, and celebrated with great pomp consecrated to the same 29 months in this Bishop Melchisedec Lower Danube (1864-1879), the priests and church Gregory Savas Iosifidis Gogos, the crowds and the guardianship of where: Michael Rodocanakis, Economou and GA GA Antipas, as well as a large number of people.

By the care of Archimandrite Gregory Gogos, a year later and the other two were consecrated Holy Table (the north and the south of the central), in honor of Saint Gerasimos of Chefaloniei (20 October 1873) and St. Nicholas ( 6 December 1873). Above the central tables Sacred Canopy is a great chip carved with six tall columns. Gogos has committed a unique work of community organizing and young ladies of the city of social organizations, placing strong foundations to promote the Greek community in Braila.

Annunciation Greek Church in Braila is in the form of a cross inscribed with the narthex free, inside dimensions 21 x 43 m with the altar apse. More specifically, the architect Abraham Ioannidis, used to cross the core recorded on four pillars that support the special forms, which extends along the building giving the church a great enlargement. This extension is done by double pairs of columns at the east and west.

Church architect has created a unique building with great Italian masters, dominating elements in ancient Greek, Gothic and Renaissance, combined into a homogeneous mixture of neoclassical style, otherwise characteristic of the nineteenth century.

George Tattarescu painted a party that was continued between the years 1901-1903, by Constantinos Liochis Livadas.

Temple church was crafted by artisans in the neoclassical style, is probably Constantinopolitan and white with gold decoration in relief [According to local tradition, the church iconostasis was made at Constantinople]. According signatures accompanying portable icons of the iconostasis, they were painted by Matache Orasianu, C. Grasianu of Braila and Galati Robe VC. Orasianu Matache also painted portable icons of the church between 1874-1894.

Many bears the signature icons Ioannis Chiriac deacon. First icon's signature portable that keeps the Greek church in Braila dates from 1913.

The large number of portable icons are hung on the side walls of the nave and altar of the most important is the icon of the Virgin Odighitria the iconostasis, the donation of the great grain merchant D. Ioannis Rallis. Artistic characteristics lead us to a date the icon in the fifteenth century, such as the Virgin Mary face shape accented with light and flexible enough and ornate nimbus of the Virgin Mary and Christ, but did not exclude a dating Its further, since they meet the above features and icons of XVI century. The source icon is still unknown, but it is possible to be made part of Rallis family treasure, which had its roots in Byzantium.

Are grand chandeliers of Murano glass and Bohemia, along with the parquet floor is the visitor creates a sense of greatness. Also, the church is decorated candlesticks, made in the workshops of Constantinople, which are placed between iconostases, which is based on the columns. A large number of portable icons fill the church setting.

As a result of the settlement the church near the Danube, twenty years after it consecrated, outside of the building has deteriorated due to moisture and thus the beginning of June 1896 began work for the necessary repairs.

From 1985 until 1989 were made interior and exterior repairs, and between 1988-1989 the church was painted by Virginia Vide and Gheorghe Zaharia, the days of His Eminence Archbishop of Tomis and Dr. Antipa Nica Danube Lower, parish priest being Gavrila Dumitru.

Resfintirea church was made on 25 March 1990, after the repair and painting. Blessing has been committed by His Eminence Archbishop of Tomis Lucian, being surrounded by a group of priests and deacons and a large number of believers.

In 1899, the mayor of Braila in agreement with the Greek community decided to use the Annunciation Greek church bell tower of fire, because it was the tallest building in town.

Bell was on the phone with the fire service, and to extinguish fires at the time, day and night work as an observer. During WWI, Greek school in the churchyard was used in November 1916 for war-wounded admitted. A month later, Braila was conquered by the army for two enemies that have stopped trading for years. There were enemy holds only for supplying armies. Since then he has started and fall of the city.

As expected the postwar period and further loss caused, resulting in the domination of a general condition of departure from Romania, which was temporarily interrupted by the catastrophe micrasiatica. The events of the Second World War, Romania was found in the midst of hostilities leading to exile Hellenism irrevocably.

The few Greek postwar instability that were left were ready to go, and so between 1946-1949 were off slowly, and when the Annunciation Greek communities of Braila has remained almost deserted. Father Theodoros Kentridis, he was appointed to the church in 1946 was forced to leave due to lack of parishioners in Greece in 1949 where later he was sent by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to serve again on the Greeks of the Diaspora.

The church suffered serious damage, both outside and inside and requires urgent intervention of specialists for the restoration and consolidation. Many efforts to restore this masterpiece of the Balkans are submitted by Bishop Cassian Lower Danube, which is willing to help and Mr. Grigoriade Demetrios, Greek in Romania, who lives in Greece today.

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