Saint Nicolae-Buzești Church is a Romanian Orthodox church located on Alexandru Ioan Cuza Boulevard, numbers 2-4, Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
At the time of its foundation, the church was located on the northern edge of the city, in an area full of gardens, vineyards and vacant land, owned by 40-50 members of the carpenters' guild. According to the original writing, the church was built between 1847 and 1854, after the approval of the local authorities. Among the founders was Dobre "The Carpenter", a famous builder. The portico was added in 1873; according to the writing from 1897, it was later repaired and repainted by Gheorghe Ioanide.
The church burned down in 1899 and the domes were renovated during major repairs in 1910-1911. The stained glass windows from 1911 were restored in 1946. During the First World War, the German army confiscated the church bells, using the bronze for the production of shells; new bells were cast in 1925. In 1924 the facades, chancel, mosaic floor and painting were restored and the portico rebuilt; the church was rededicated the following year.
After damage caused by the 1940 earthquake and 1944 bombings, the church was restored between 1942-1946, 1960 and 1964. The painting was repaired after the 1977 earthquake and the exterior panels were executed in 1990. On the night of December 7-8 1991, all the valuables inside were stolen and the church was set on fire. The interior painting, furniture, iconostasis and liturgical objects were destroyed, the walls were burned and the domes cracked. Services were temporarily held in the unaffected portico. Repairs took place between 1992 and 1997, and a new consecration took place in 2004.
The church, in neoclassical style, has the shape of a cross and measures 27 meters long and between 8.5 and 11 meters wide, with slightly raised side apses, circular on the outside. It has two domes: an octagonal one over the nave and a square bell tower over the pronaos. Both are masonry with flat roofs. The facades are decorated with pilasters, and the exterior is simple in profile. The tall windows end in arches and alternate with niches containing icons of saints. The western facade ends in a trapezoid. The portico, smaller than the rest of the church but with a similar trapezoid, has three arches, enclosed by windows and doors. The entrance to the church is through the south part of the portico, and the courtyard is planted with trees and flowers.
Sursa: en.wikipedia.org