Left and right of the entrance to the Biserica de la Coroana is
plaque in Romanian language (on the left) and English (on the right)
saying:
"Coroana"
Orthodox Church
XIII-th Century
(1270 - 1280)
The Oldest
Monument
In Bistrita
Biserica de la Coroana
"The earliest mention of Franciscans in the town dates to 1268.
Around that time, the order built a church and monastery dedicated to the
Virgin Mary. The choir was begun in the mid-13th century, while the western
facade was finished last, around 1270. Around 1444, the damage caused by
attacks in 1438 during the Ottoman–Hungarian wars was repaired. Around 1520,
the wooden ceiling was replaced by a Gothic vault. Several years later, the
transition from Gothic to Renaissance was in motion, as seen from stones
surviving into the 20th century. In the same period, the church was painted
in fresco, fragments of which also lasted until the 20th century. Among the
figures depicted were Saint George, the Archangel Michael, Saint Emeric of
Hungary, Saint Ladislaus and presumably a donor.
Under pressure from the Protestant Reformation, the Franciscans left
the town between 1540 and 1542. The church then became Lutheran. In 1724, as
part of the Counter-Reformation led by the Holy Roman Empire, the
Franciscans regained the church. By 1788, it was a Catholic parish church.
During the 18th century, Baroque features were added. The ceiling was
replaced around 1772 and stairs were built into the western facade. The
choir was heightened and given windows, as well as a Baroque altar dedicated
to the Holy Trinity. A Baroque cornice was placed all along the facades. A
triangular pediment was added to the western facade, as well as a
bulb-shaped belfry. Other repairs date to 1847, when the first western
portico was likely built.
In 1893, the unused property was purchased by the Romanian
Greek-Catholic Church. The 1760 organ was probably removed around the same
period. The western portico acquired its current Gothic Revival appearance
in the interwar period. In 1948, when the new communist regime banned the
Greek-Catholic Church, the building was transferred to the Orthodox Church.
Subsequently, the Baroque altar was replaced by an iconostasis."
Source and further information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entry_of_the_Theotokos_into_the_Temple_Church,_Bistrita