The People’s Salvation Cathedral (Catedrala Mântuirii Neamului), also called the National Cathedral, is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral, located next to the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest. With its location on Spirea’s Hill and a height of 135 meters, the building is a remarkable landmark in the cityscape of Bucharest.
With a length of 135 meters (including stairs), a width of 67.7 meters, and a height of 135 meters (including the cross) the People’s Salvation Cathedral has a floor area of 8,400 m2 (including the stairway) and a capacity of 7,000 people. This makes it the tallest domed cathedral in the world, and the 14th tallest church building in the world. It also has the largest mosaic collection of 18,000 m2 and the largest free-swinging church bell in the world. The design of the cathedral features elements of architectural details from all the Romanian provinces and territories.
Although the construction of the cathedral only started in 2010, the idea of building a national cathedral already emerged after the independence of Romania in 1878. The idea was that the church would symbolize the victory of the Orthodox Christians over the Ottoman Muslims, but due to a lack of consensus and funding the plan was never materialized. Finally in 2005 the Bucharest City Hall proposed Spirea’s Hill to the Patriarchate as the most suitable place and an agreement was reached. After a tender was launched in 2019, building started in 2010 and the People’s Salvation Cathedral celebrated its consecration on November 25th 2018. Works on the building are still continuing and the final paintwork is expected to be completed by 2025.
