Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului

The church was built in the second half of the 17th century by Constantin Bălăceanu. According to official documents, the construction of the Church dedicated to the "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" began in 1684, but was only completed in 1825, due to the turmoil experienced by the Bălăceanu family, which initiated and supported the construction of this church for the faithful.

Princess Maria, daughter of the ruler of Wallachia, Șerban Cantacuzino, is mentioned in the church's inscription along with her husband, Constantin Bălăceanu. In 1747, the Metropolitan of Hungary-Wallachia, Neofit I, arriving in the town of Balaci, found the stone church built, but still deserted.

It was not until 1820 that another member of the family, also named Constantin Bălăceanu, completed the palace begun in that area and brought the abandoned church back to life. The current edifice was built on the ruins of a much older church, mentioned in various legends and ballads. This church has survived to the present day, while the palace at Balaci was again abandoned, leaving only three underground rooms, similar to those at Curtea-Veche in Bucharest.

Even though the works began in 1684, the construction could not be completed due to tragic events, culminating in the death of Constantin Bălăceanu in 1690, in the Battle of Zărnești.

The church was plastered only in 1825 by the great ban Constantin Bălăceanu together with his sons: the great hetman Ștefan Bălăceanu, the former great aga C. Bălăceanu, the great commissar Iancu Bălăceanu and Grigore Bălăceanu. On this occasion, votive portraits of the family members were also made, painted inside the church, which had not been painted until then.

The construction is notable for its atypical architecture for the era in which it was built. The tower has an octagonal shape, and the porch is composed of three arches.

According to a report made in 1914 by Virgil Drăghiceanu for the Historical Monuments Commission, the architectural style of the church in Balaci is specific to the period of Matei Basarab's reign. The construction is arranged in a rectangular plan, divided into four spaces: porch, narthex, nave and altar with a polygonal shape. The walls are 1.13 meters thick, the total length is 18.65 meters, the width is 5.7 meters and the height reaches 19.35 meters. On the outside, the facades are decorated with niches, separated by two jagged belts made of brick.

His Eminence Galaction Stângă, Bishop of Alexandria and Teleorman, stated that the Church of the "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" in the Balaci parish is a monument of great historical value, and from an architectural point of view it stands out especially among the churches in Teleorman county. Built in the second half of the 17th century by Constantin Bălăceanu, it presents a unique architecture.

Inside the church there is an icon of the Virgin Mary, known as the "Comforter", which is considered by believers to be a miracle worker.

Sursa: audiotravelguide.ro