The Saint Demetrius Church – Post Office (Biserica Sfântul Dumitru – Poştă) is a Romanian Orthodox church in the historic old town of Bucharest. It stands opposite the National History Museum of Romania, which is located in the former Post Office Palace, hence the name of the church. The church is also known as the Oath-Taking Church (Biserica de Jurământ).
Archaeological excavations have revealed traces that indicate there was a church in this location as early as the 14th century that has probably been rebuilt several times. The current church was built by Bishop Constantin Filitti between 1807 and 1819 after the previous church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1802 and a fire in 1804. It was designed in a Neoclassical style by the architect Iosif Weltzbau.
In 1847, the Great Fire of Bucharest destroyed the roof and interior of the church after which restorations took place in the following years. The dome was rebuilt from wood covered with tin which and decorated with neoclassical motifs. The walls were also strenghtened and large parts of the internal and external painting were redone.
In 1912 the church was abandoned and threatened with demolishion. However this was prevented by Ioan Constantin Filitti, a great-nephew of the founder, who initiated its restoration. The church reopened in 1930, and in 1940 it survived the earthquake that damaged many buildings in the city, so only minor reparations were needed. Further restorations took place in 1964-1966, in 1986, 1995, and 2002.
The church has a cross-shaped plan and measures a length of 25.2 meters, a width of 9.5 meters, and a height of 13.9 meters. A Pantocrator dome rises on a square base above the apses. The facades are decorated with ornaments in a Greek Revival style, and Doric pilasters beneath floral decoration on the sides. On the western side medallions of the Twelve Apostles are located above six Ionic columns. The wooden iconostasis was carved in a Baroque style in Buzău.
