The White Church of Bucharest (Biserica Albă din București) is a Romanian Orthodox church located on Victory Avenue in Bucharest. The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
It’s unknown when the church was exactly built, but a wooden icon dating from 1701-1702 suggests that the church already existed and an excavated tombstone from 1715 is further proof that there was already a church in the early 18th century. In 1784 a restoration took place and in 1802 the church was surrounded by monastic cells, which were demolished during the urbanization of Bucharest in the late 19th century.
According to the inscription in the pisanie, the church was rebuilt again in 1827 because it was severely damaged during the earthquakes of 1802 and 1808. Around this time, a second dedication to the Prophet Elijah was added.
Between 1868 and 1873 another restoration took place and two domes of wood and tin were installed and the portico was added. The interior was painted by Gheorghe Tattarescu. In 1910 two arches were added to the portico. Further restorations took place in 1961 and after the 1977 earthquake.
The White Church has a single nave and a semicircular apse, and measures a length of 30.3 meters and a width of 9.6 meters. The two domes on the roof, a Pantocrator dome above the nave, and a bell tower above the narthex, are octagonal and rest on square bases. The portico has three frontal arches and one arch on each side, which rest on masonry columns. Above the portico is a triangular pediment. The wooden iconostasis is sculptured in a Brâncovenesc style, while the white external appearance of the church is Neoclassical.
