The Church of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Elena (Biserica Sfinții Împărați Constantin și Elena) is a historic Romanian Orthodox church in Bacău, built between 1842 and 1845 through the patronage of two local noblemen. It is the city’s only surviving church founded by members of the Moldavian nobility and is also known as Bârzu’s Church (Biserica Bârzului).
The church was founded by Enachi Crupenschi, who provided the main financial support, and his friend Antohi Bârzu, who personally supervised the construction. According to the Bacău historian Costache Radu, Bârzu was so frequently present among the workers that townspeople came to regard him as the founder, giving rise to the church’s alternative name. Crupenschi also provided an estate at Brătila to support the new religious institution.
Soon after its completion, the church became a center of religious education. In 1846, a catechetical school was established in buildings within its grounds to prepare young men for admission to the theological seminary at Socola, near Iași. The school operated there for many years, giving the church an educational role alongside its regular parish activities.
The brick-built church has a substantial masonry structure, with arched vaults and tall windows that illuminate the interior. Its most notable artistic feature is the extensive religious painting, which was redecorated in 1923 using designs by George Sterian. The artist’s compositions were subsequently used as models for paintings at the Curtea de Argeș Monastery. Further painting was undertaken in 1967, followed by restoration between 1980 and 1984.
The church suffered considerable structural damage during the earthquakes of 1986 and 1990, leading to an extensive program of consolidation and repairs beginning in the late 1990s. Supported by public funds and donations from parishioners, the work strengthened the historic masonry and helped preserve the building and its interior decoration.
