Saint George the Great Church (1819)
From historical sources we learn that the construction of the Church “Saint George” began in 1814, in the historic center of Chisinau, with the blessing of Metropolitan Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni.
The works started under the guidance of the priest Gheorghe, helped by his Bulgarian compatriots. One of the architects of the shrine was Archimandrite Ioanikie, a guest from St Petersburg. The main burden fell on the shoulders of Costin Stavaraki.
He was appointed abbot of the church, where he served until 1830. The construction was completed around 1818 and on November 3rd, it was consecrated by the Bishop of Bender Akerman Dumitru, vicar of Chisinau. The official year of completion was 1819, when the Iconostasis was installed.
During the interwar period, divine services were conducted in Romanian and Russian languages.
In the summer of 1940, following the devastating earthquake, the church suffered a major setback. Efforts were needed to restore the holy place.
In 1959 the church was closed. In 1978 the building was declared a monument of architecture protected by the State, and then restoration was carried out.
After the national revival, the church was returned to the faithful.