Mitocul Maicilor Church (Biserica Mitocul Maicilor) is an Orthodox church in central Iași, dedicated to Saint Paraskeva. The present building dates mainly from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, while the name Mitocul Maicilor comes from the community of nuns who lived around the church for a short period at the beginning of the 1800s.
A church dedicated to Saint Paraskeva existed here by the late 17th century, serving the craftsmen and merchants of the surrounding Muntenimea de Sus neighborhood. It was rebuilt in 1760 by Vasile Roset and consecrated in 1792 by Metropolitan Iacov Stamate. Further rebuilding followed in 1819 under postelnic Mihail Pascu, giving the church much of its present form.
The name Mitocul Maicilor developed after Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi moved several nuns here from Socola Monastery in 1803, when the monastery there was converted into a theological seminary. Two low buildings with monastic cells were constructed beside the church, but the nuns stayed only briefly before being transferred to Agapia. The cells later remained under the control of Agapia and Văratec monasteries, while the church continued to be known by the name of the former nuns’ metochion.
Built of stone and brick, the church has a trefoil plan, a bell tower above the vestibule, and restrained exterior decoration with Baroque and Neoclassical elements. Inside, the walls are largely unpainted, while the carved wooden iconostasis preserves early 19th-century post-Byzantine icons. Other historic furnishings include a wooden pulpit from the same period, an embroidered epitaph from 1880, and several old liturgical objects.
The church later became part of the court of Alexandru Ioan Cuza’s residence, now the Union Museum, and served as his chapel. His princely throne is still kept here, which also earned the church the nickname Cuza’s Church.
