Sorin IFTIMI, BISERICA BĂRBOI DIN IAȘI –„VATOPEDUL DIN MOLDOVA”. STUDIU DE ISTORIE ȘI ARHITECTURĂ

Buletinul ”Ioan Neculce” al Muzeului de Istorie a Moldovei – XXIII / 2017

Abstract

The Bărboi Church (celebrating Apostles Peter and Paul) in Iași is a mid-19th century architectural compound enjoying the statute of historical monument. The church was built during the years 1841-1844 on the place of a church constructed in 1615 by judge Ursu Bărboi, an ancestor of the Sturdza family. The Bărboi monastery compound was permanently considered by the Commission for Historical Monuments, which also financed and coordinated in several phases the consolidation and restoration works undertaken thereto in: 1945-1949, 1863-1968, 1984-1988. This shows the special interest of the Commission for the Bărboi Church, an interest which exceeds the simple regional or local importance. The most recent research pointed out new elements regarding the architecture and painting of the church. Uniqueness elements as well as the inclusion within a signifying series were pointed out. Analogies to the Vatoped Church of Mount Athos offers a new perspective, situating the monument in the horizon of the Romanian-Greek common cultural heritage. This provides the grounds for a reassessment of the Bărboi church as a historical and architectural monument. We consider that these accumulated elements as valuable enough so to propose the National Commission to classify the architectural compound of the “Bărboi Church” in Iași within the monuments of Category ”A”.