The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral “Nativity of the Lord” in Chisinau is one of the most recognized buildings in the capital of the Republic Of Moldova.

The initiative to construct the Cathedral belongs to Metropolitan Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni (1812-1821), and the place of its location was indicated in the first urban plan of Chisinau. The construction was carried out during his successor, between 1832-1836 by Archbishop Dumitru Sulima (1821-1844). It is built of stone and brick, with three altars: central-The Nativity of the Lord, lateral (originally consecrated); the southern – St. Alexander Nevsky, the northern – St. Nicolai from Mira. Today the two side altars are dedicated to the faithful Voivod Stephen The Great And Holy and to the assumption of the Mother of God.

The ensemble of the Cathedral consists of the cathedral itself, a four-tiered bell tower and Holy Gates. The building works highlight the concern for the creation of the urban center, and a special role in its architectural-spatial composition had to play the City Cathedral. In the plan of 1817 its location was already indicated in the city center – like an enormous cruciform plan.

The architect of the holy place was Abraham Melnikov, master of the Russian empirical style. And here begin the mysteries and curiosities. It has been found out that our Cathedral has several twin sisters!

1. The Cathedral The Transfiguration in the Ukrainian city of Bolgrad, Odessa region, is a true sister of our Cathedral. And not by chance – it was built in 1838 by the same Abraham Melnikov.
2. Another creation of the famous architect, who also worked as rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, is the Cathedral The Transfiguration in the city of Rybinsk, in the Yaroslavl region of Russia, right on the Bank of the Volga River.
3. Another project of Melnikov is the famous Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic in St. Petersburg, located in the premises of the former Lipovensky Church of St. Nicholas.
4. Danilov monastery in Moscow, according to legend, is considered the oldest monastery on the Moscow River. It consists of an ensemble of buildings, but the St.Trinity Cathedral of this monastery is almost a complete copy of the Cathedral of Chisinau. The exact author is unknown, but the time of the construction of The Trinity Cathedral (1833-1838) coincides with the time of the creative activity of Abraham Melnikov…
5. An imposing number of Churches, very similar to our Cathedral, stood on the Don River. Almost all of them were destroyed after the revolution of 1917, and their image was preserved only on old photographs. But again we wonder how much they look like…
6. The Famous Cathedral Of St. Isaac in St. Petersburg. It is so famous, so imposing and grandiose. It also resembles our Cathedral – but from a distance. It is interesting that Avraham Melnikov participated in the contest for the creation of the project of the St. Isaac Cathedral in St. Petersburg, but did not win. What if he had won the contest?