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Photo: Alexander Klink, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
With an exceptional interior designed by one of the most popular architects from Vienna at the beginning of the 19th century.
The Iași National Theatre in Iași, Romania, is the oldest national theatre and one of the most prestigious theatrical institutions in Romania. In 1956, it was given the name of the renowned Romanian playwright and poet Vasile Alecsandri. The building also hosts the Iași Romanian National Opera.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Do not wear short skirts in this church. The elderly are quite protective of in-church propriety. If you go in the summer, you will enjoy vast rose bushes all around the grounds of the church. If you are thirsty, there is a water fountain at one end of the courtyard. There are always beggars at the entrance of this church, which is one of the most profitable for beggars in Iaşi. Locally, this church is called "Metropolia". Metropolia contains the remains of "Saint Paraschiva", an important local saint. If you like chaos and celebrations, go to Iaşi from 12-16 October of any year. The city floods with peasants and religious pilgrims from Romania and abroad. The city completely changes during this period, and the Stefan cel Mare boulevard is almost impossible to walk through.
Biserca Armeana Sf. Maria
Well over 500-year-old Armenian Church in the heart of Iaşi.
This monastery is surrounded with thick fat walls and has a prominent tower; you can climb to the summit. It is in "Targul Cucului" = "the Coockoo's market", which is right in the middle of the city in a very busy intersection. The contrasting serenity within the walls is almost unbelievable.
This church is completely covered in carvings. The church was once covered in gold, which was burned away to be stolen. Trei Ierarhi is frequently under construction. The atmosphere inside is musky, typical of East Orthodox churches. It contains several chandeliers with decorative ostrich eggs. It is on the tentative list for nomination for the World Heritage list.
Next to the Palace of Culture is a little stone house named after the scholar and metropolite ("archbishop") of Moldavia Dosoftei (1624-1693). He was one of the first to use the Romanian language for poetry and in the church and the house contains a small museum showing early manuscripts, prints and printing presses (no English signs).