Cuibul cu barza Church
Encyclopedia
The Cuibul cu barză Church (meaning the Stork-nest Church) dedicated to the Saint Stephen
is a Romanian Orthodox church located on Ştirbei Vodă Street in Bucharest
's Sector 1
. As mentioned on the inscription, placed after the 1898 rehabilitation, at the entrance of the church the name is due to the nest
s which stork
s had built on the building’s shingle
roof
.
According to documentary evidence from the beginning of the 18th century, a small church existed on the site. A new church was built by the clucer
Dona and his wife Zamfira. who were buried in the church in 1830. Their tombstones are preserved in the naos
.
The church needed frequent repairs. After the first repairs, carried out in 1853, the main dome
had to be rebuilt in 1877 and in 1898, the church was completely rehabilitated by architect Toma Dobrescu. The church was repainted in neobyzantine style by Vasile Damian, a priest
and painter
. The pillar
s separating the pronaos
from the nave
were eliminated. A new church porch with three arches was added to the building. The church was included in the list of historic monuments.
The 1977 earthquake
severely damaged the “Cuibul cu Barză” church, Consolidation works, including concrete reinforcements around the foundation and the dome were started in 1984. A mosaic
was fixed on the western facade
and the painting was cleaned and restored.
After the completion of the restoration
, in 1987, the church was scheduled for demolition, due to the new town planning
for the Ştirbei Vodă area. A group of concerned technicians under the leadership of engineer Eugen Iordăchescu, technical director of the “Proiect Bucureşti” design institute were able to come with a solution of saving the church, by moving it 12 meter (40 ft) southward. The translation
of the building was completed on February 22, 1988. A new high-rise was built, to hide the view of the church from the main street, the access being possible only by a narrow road from Vasile Pârvan street. The new church was reconsecrated
on November 21, 1990.
A grammar school, called "Cuibul cu barză school" was built next to the church. The school was attended by: George Călinescu
, Eugen Filotti
, Dumitru Cornilescu and other celebrities. The school’s old building was torn down in the late 1980s and a new school, called "Music and visual arts school No. 3 – Cuibul cu Barză" was built in the neighborhood.
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
is a Romanian Orthodox church located on Ştirbei Vodă Street in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
's Sector 1
Sector 1 (Bucharest)
Sector 1 is a sector in Bucharest. It includes the northern part of the city centre as well as the northwestern districts of Băneasa and Pipera. It is the wealthiest sector in Bucharest.-Quarters:*Aviatorilor*Aviaţiei*Băneasa*Bucureştii Noi*Dămăroaia...
. As mentioned on the inscription, placed after the 1898 rehabilitation, at the entrance of the church the name is due to the nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
s which stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s had built on the building’s shingle
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
.
According to documentary evidence from the beginning of the 18th century, a small church existed on the site. A new church was built by the clucer
Clucer
Clucer was a historical rank traditionally held by boyars in Moldavia and Wallachia, roughly corresponding to that of Masters of the Royal Court...
Dona and his wife Zamfira. who were buried in the church in 1830. Their tombstones are preserved in the naos
Cella
A cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
.
The church needed frequent repairs. After the first repairs, carried out in 1853, the main dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
had to be rebuilt in 1877 and in 1898, the church was completely rehabilitated by architect Toma Dobrescu. The church was repainted in neobyzantine style by Vasile Damian, a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. The pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s separating the pronaos
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
from the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
were eliminated. A new church porch with three arches was added to the building. The church was included in the list of historic monuments.
The 1977 earthquake
1977 Bucharest Earthquake
The 1977 Vrancea Earthquake occurred on Friday, 4 March 1977, 21:20 local time and was felt throughout the Balkans. It had a magnitude of 7.2 with an epicenter in Vrancea at a depth of ....
severely damaged the “Cuibul cu Barză” church, Consolidation works, including concrete reinforcements around the foundation and the dome were started in 1984. A mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
was fixed on the western facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
and the painting was cleaned and restored.
After the completion of the restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
, in 1987, the church was scheduled for demolition, due to the new town planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
for the Ştirbei Vodă area. A group of concerned technicians under the leadership of engineer Eugen Iordăchescu, technical director of the “Proiect Bucureşti” design institute were able to come with a solution of saving the church, by moving it 12 meter (40 ft) southward. The translation
Translation (geometry)
In Euclidean geometry, a translation moves every point a constant distance in a specified direction. A translation can be described as a rigid motion, other rigid motions include rotations and reflections. A translation can also be interpreted as the addition of a constant vector to every point, or...
of the building was completed on February 22, 1988. A new high-rise was built, to hide the view of the church from the main street, the access being possible only by a narrow road from Vasile Pârvan street. The new church was reconsecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on November 21, 1990.
A grammar school, called "Cuibul cu barză school" was built next to the church. The school was attended by: George Călinescu
George Calinescu
George Călinescu was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies...
, Eugen Filotti
Eugen Filotti
Eugen Filotti was a Romanian diplomat, journalist and writer. As a diplomat he worked at the League of Nations in Geneva and then as minister plenipotentiary in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary. As minister plenipotentiary to Budapest he issued transit visas for Jews during the Holocaust...
, Dumitru Cornilescu and other celebrities. The school’s old building was torn down in the late 1980s and a new school, called "Music and visual arts school No. 3 – Cuibul cu Barză" was built in the neighborhood.