Biserica Măzărache

What you see

The church stands on a slope on the street that bears its name, Strada Măzărache, north-east of the old centre. It is a sober, compact building whose forms follow medieval Moldavian church architecture, not the neoclassical churches that the Russian authorities had built in Chișinău in the 19th century. If you have visited the Nativity Cathedral in the centre first, you will notice the difference in scale and style straight away.

At the bottom of the hill lies a stone block marking the site of a spring. According to a widely cited explanation, the name Chișinău goes back to chișla nouă, an old Romanian expression read as new spring.

History

Chișinău is first mentioned on 14 October 1436, as a village belonging to a monastery. Until well into the 18th century it remained a modest market town. The church was built in 1752 by Vasile Măzărache, after whom it is named, on the site of a fortification that the Ottomans had destroyed in the 17th century.

That the church survived is remarkable: in the 19th century Chișinău was laid out anew to a fresh street plan, and in the Second World War it was badly hit. Today it is an ordinary parish church, and according to OpenStreetMap data it is dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God (Acoperământul Maicii Domnului).

Tips for your visit

The church is within walking distance of the Piața Centrală and the old lower town. It is small, so a visit does not take long; combine it with a walk through the streets of the city's oldest districts, where a few low 19th-century houses still stand.

It is a working parish church. Ideally come outside service times and follow the usual dress rules. On Sunday morning you can attend the liturgy as a quiet observer. As you leave, take a moment for the stone by the spring at the foot of the hill.