In the "Parcul Catedralei" (Cathedral park) is one of the most beautiful
buildings of Chișinău, the "Catedrala Mitropolitană Nașterea Domnului"
(Metropolitan Cathedral of the Nativity of the Lord).
"The Cathedral of Christ's Nativity (Romanian: Catedrala
Mitropolitană Nașterea Domnului) is the main cathedral of the Moldovan
Orthodox Church in Sectorul Centru, Moldova. It was commissioned by the
governor of New Russia, Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, and
Metropolitan Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni in 1830.
The cathedral was built in the 1830s to a Neoclassical design by
Abram Melnikov (who had designed a similar church in Bolhrad). The cathedral
was bombed during World War II, and its bell tower was destroyed by the
local Communists in 1962. The new bell tower was constructed in 1997. During
the Soviet period, worship was prohibited and the cathedral was transformed
into an exhibition center.
Melnikov's design is Neoclassical. The façade is very simple and
clear with six Doric column for the entrance. Because of the numerous
destructions which the cathedral suffered throughout time, the building has
received several restorations and shifts in its shape. For instance, the
current zinc dome and its cross at the top are both an addition from 1997
built over the previous structure. The inside was completely blank during
the Soviet period but nowadays it has painted walls in pure Orthodox style."
Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_Cathedral,_Chișinău