The Goldsmiths’ Church (Biserica Zlătari) is a Romanian Orthodox church on Victory Avenue in the historic old town of Bucharest. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to the Holy Martyrs Cyprian and Justina.
The first church in this location, mentioned in a 1667 document, was built by Matei Basarab around the mid-17th century and was probably made of wood. In 1705, it was rebuilt from stone with the help of Mihai Cantacuzino. Around that time, the church was surrounded by the Goldsmiths’ Inn, several shops, and other estates and became one of the richest monasteries in the country in the 18th century.
In 1802 and 1838 the church was severely damaged by earthquakes and was completely rebuilt in 1850. The church was designed by the architect Xavier Villacrosse and the interior paintings featuring biblical scenes were the work of Gheorghe Tattarescu. In 1888 the monastery became a parish church and in 1903 the inn and bell tower were demolished to widen the street. Restorations took place in 1907-1908 but during the 1940 earthquake the domes were damaged. Restoration works between 1971 and 1973 gave the domes its current appearance.
The Goldsmiths’ Church has a single nave with a large dome surrounded by four smaller domes on the corners. The building measures a length of 23.5 meters and a width of 12 meters. The external walls are decorated with red bricks and daylight enters the interior via stained glass windows depicting saints.
