The Saint Nicholas Saddlers Church (Biserica Sfântul Nicolae Șelari) is a Romanian Orthodox church in the historic Lipscani district of Bucharest.
Before the current church, another church, probably made of wood, existed in its place in the 16th or 17th century, of which the first documentation dates to 1664. The saddlers, the craftsmen who made leather saddles in the nearby shops, didn’t build the church, but once they formed their guild, they took care of it and so the church got its name.
The church was rebuilt from stone in 1699-1700 by Șerban Cantacuzino. After the 1802 earthquake, it was restored in the following years, and by the mid-19th century, it became the church of the chandlers’, cotton, and weavers’ guilds.
In 1847, the Great Fire of Bucharest destroyed large parts of the city and the church was also badly damaged. In 1860 it was demolished, but the construction of the new church went slowly due to a lack of funds. When Prince Carol (who would later become King Carol I) visited he promptly donated 10,000 gold coins to help with the construction, which was completed in 1868. Around this time the famous painter Gheorghe Tattarescu created the fresco paintings. Further restorations took place in 1903, 1921-1925, 1971, and after the 1977 earthquake.
The Saint Nicholas Saddlers’ Church is built on a cross-shaped plan and measures a length of 25 meters and a width of 16 meters. It has two towers: a Pantocrator dome above the nave, and an octagonal bell tower above the narthex. The entrance is via a small staircase that leads through a small portico with a single arch and two marble columns. Above the entrance is rose window and a small triangular pediment.
