The Saint Nicholas Church (Biserica Sfântul Nicolae) is a historic Romanian Orthodox church in central Galați and the former cathedral of the Diocese of the Lower Danube. The present church dates from the mid-19th century, but Christian use of the site reaches back several centuries.
A Saint Nicholas monastery already stood here during the 17th century and was placed under the authority of Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai. Athanasius III Patellarios, who twice served as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, lived and served at the monastery between 1642 and 1653. An earlier church on the site was rebuilt in 1776 and later burned during the disturbances of 1821.
Reconstruction began in 1839 through contributions from Galați residents and a donation from Constantius, Archbishop of Sinai, and the new church was consecrated in 1845. Repairs carried out between 1856 and 1860 included the installation of the carved wooden iconostasis that still separates the sanctuary from the nave.
When the Diocese of the Lower Danube transferred its seat from Ismail to Galați in 1878, Saint Nicholas became the episcopal cathedral. Severe damage from the earthquake of August 1903 forced its closure, but after repairs it resumed cathedral functions in 1907 and continued in that role until the present Archbishopric Cathedral was consecrated in 1917.
The church has a nave plan with strong interior columns supporting the central dome, while the exterior uses classical details including triangular pediments, dentils and attached Doric columns. Several icons preserved inside came from other Galați churches that were later demolished, including Saint George and Saint Paraskeva churches. The church was extensively repaired and repainted during the 1980s and 1990s, with further restoration completed in the 2000s.
Today the church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, Saint Athanasius III of Constantinople and Saint Paraskeva, reflecting both its long parish history and its earlier monastic past.
