The "Saint Lazarus" Church in Iași is an important Orthodox place of worship located in the center of Iași, on Dimitrie Gusti Street no. 1, in the immediate vicinity of the "Luceafărul" Children's Theater and the Palace of Justice. This church has two patron saints: "The Resurrection of Lazarus", celebrated on Palm Sunday, and "Saint Catherine", celebrated on November 25. Since 2004, the "Saint Lazarus" Church has been included on the list of historical monuments in Iași County, being classified with the code IS-II-m-B-03908, with a date attributed to the end of the 18th century.
The first documented information about the existence of a church on this site dates back to the reign of Mihai Racoviță, who ruled Moldavia between 1703-1705, 1707-1709 and 1716-1726. During his first reign, around 1703, Mihai Racoviță built a wooden church dedicated to “Saint Lazarus” near the princely customs house (called cărvăsărie) and the prince’s parental homes, on a hill that marked the eastern boundary of the city at the time. This church was also known at the time as the “Church at the Customs House”.
The chronicler Ion Neculce records this foundation in his chronicle, and the existence and activity of the monastery are attested by several documents from the 18th century, between 1705 and 1793. The wooden church was burned down by the Turks, and on its site, around 1785, the brothers Sandu and Luca Grigorie built a new church, this time made of brick on a stone foundation.
With the new construction, the place of worship was elevated to the rank of monastery and was dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Greek monks who settled here built abbot houses and cells on the ruins of the houses of the former ruler Mihai Racoviță. They also brought the parts of the relics of three saints: Saint Charalambies, Saint Theodore Stratilates and Saint Michael of Sinade, relics preserved to this day on the right side of the nave, in a silver box with Greek inscriptions. A piece of the Savior's Cross was also kept in the altar.
Outside the church, near the northern wall of the porch, there is a marble tombstone with an inscription in Romanian written in Cyrillic letters, which commemorates the eternal rest of two believers, Hristodulo and Despina, in the 19th century.
The church has gone through several fires and destruction. In 1822, it was damaged by a fire, and was then repaired by Grigore Luca together with Sandu, who rebuilt the roof, the floor and other auxiliary constructions.
After the secularization of the monastery assets in 1863, the "Saint Lazar" Church was abolished as a monastery, losing its properties, and the Greek monks left it. It became a branch church of the Barnovschi Parish, and was subsequently maintained with the support of the Iași City Hall. At the beginning of the 20th century, N.A. Bogdan noted that traces of the old Racoviță houses and the walls of yesteryear could still be seen around the church.
Over time, the church was restored several times. The 1940 earthquake caused considerable damage. Repairs were carried out in 1967, and after the 1977 earthquake, which damaged the building again, new interventions followed. In the 1980s, with the support of the parishioners and under the guidance of Father Constantin Căliman, the bell tower was restored, stained glass windows made by Constantin and Ana Ichim were installed, and the interior walls were painted in fresco (predominantly green) between 1984-1985, the works being executed by the painter Constantin Călinescu and his apprentice, Iulia Handragel.
During the construction of the Luceafărul Theater and the blocks to the north of the church, in the period 1977-1987, excavation works discovered the remains of several hundred people from the former church cemetery. These bones were reburied in the churchyard, near the northern fence, and the parish priest Constantin Căliman erected an iron cross on the collective grave.
Between 2006 and 2009, the Church of “Saint Lazarus” underwent extensive consolidation and restoration works, under the pastorate of priests Dumitru Toma and Nicolae Nicolescu. The roof was replaced with galvanized sheet metal, the interior painting and the icons on the iconostasis were restored, the floor was covered with marble, and a wooden cross was placed in front of the church. The Social House “Saint Haralambie” was also rehabilitated and transformed into a parish apartment.
In 2009, Metropolitan Teofan Savu of Moldavia and Bukovina re-consecrated the church and awarded meritorious distinctions to those involved in the works. In the summer of 2011, the entrance portal was decorated with a gilded mosaic, representing Jesus the Savior and scenes with Saints Lazarus, Catherine, and Hierarch Lazarus. At the same time, the cross on the porch was also gilded.
The architecture of the church is typical of the period, with a rectangular plan with a semicircular altar. The interior is divided into a porch, a narthex, a nave and an altar. The porch is lowered compared to the rest of the church, and above the narthex is the sacristy. In the narthex, a painted pomelnic evokes the names of the benefactors.
Thus, the "Saint Lazarus" Church in Iași represents a valuable historical and religious monument, which has survived the centuries through successive restorations and the involvement of the local community.
Sursa: sflazar.iasi.mmb.ro
