The Domnița Bălașa Church (Biserica Domnița Bălașa) is a Romanian Orthodox church located near Union Square in the center of Bucharest. The church is dedicated to the Feast of the Ascension, Saint Dimitrie Basarabov, and Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu and his four sons.
The history of the church goes back to 1743-1744, when Princess (Domnița) Bălașa, the sixth daughter of Pince Constantin Brâncoveanu, and her husband Manolache Rangabe built a church on the banks of the Dâmbovița River. The church, which was dedicated to the Baptism of Jesus, was hit by the 1838 earthquake, repaired in 1842, and finally demolished in 1871.
In 1745, Bălașa built a second, larger church next to the first one and dedicated it to the Feast of the Ascension. In the same year, a school was opened in one of the surrounding buildings, and in 1751 a nursing home followed. When the second church was severely damaged by the same 1838 earthquake that damaged the first one, it was demolished. In the same year, the construction of a new (third) church started in its place which was finished in 1842. Due to a flooding of the Dâmbovița River, the church was severely damaged and was demolished in 1881.
Between 1881 and 1885 a new church was built, the fourth in the area and the only one surviving today. The foundational stone was laid during a liturgy attended by King Carol I and Queen Elisabeta on 14 June, 1881, three months after the Kingdom of Romania was established. Over time several restorations were carried out, including after the earthquakes of 1940 and 1977. A fun fact about the church is that in its entire history it has always kept its festive nature and has therefore never held a funerary ceremony.
The Domnița Bălașa Church was designed by the architect Alexandru Orăscu in a Romanesque and Gothic Revival style. It is built on a cross-shaped plan and measures a length of 29.4 meters and a width of 18.4 meters. The church has a large Pantocrator dome above the nave, which is surrounded by four smaller domes. Its western facade has a portico with a pediment which is decorated with an ornamental cornice of carved stone. Above the portico is a circular sculpted rose window allowing natural light to enter the area of the choir.
Inside the church, two niches hold the remains of Domnița Bălașa (on the righ) and Zoe Brâncoveanu, the first wife of Gheorghe Bibescu (on the left). In 1992, a monument to Bălașa created by Karl Storck was placed in the surrounding park.
