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26-673: The cathedral and surrounding buildings were raised in the western part of the Alba Iulia Citadel , on the site of a gatehouse near the Roman Plateau. It was thought of as a continuation of the former metropolitan seat at Alba Iulia (then called Bălgrad ), where Michael the Brave built a stone church in 1597. When the citadel was rebuilt in its current form in 1713–1714, the Habsburg authorities demolished this and its materials were used to build

52-506: A new church near where the railway station is today. A wooden memorial church in the southeastern part of the citadel marks the site of the former metropolitan cathedral. Built in 1921–1922, the cathedral was ready in time for the coronation of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie as monarchs of Greater Romania on October 15, 1922. This event, which took place in the same city where the Union of Transylvania with Romania occurred on December 1, 1918,

78-498: Is "Ruler of All" or, less literally, "Sustainer of the World". In this understanding, Pantokrator is a compound word formed from the Greek for "all" and the verb meaning "To accomplish something" or "to sustain something" ( κρατεῖν , kratein ). This translation speaks more to God's actual power; i.e., God does everything (as opposed to God can do everything). The icon of Christ Pantokrator

104-416: Is a compound word formed from the Greek words πᾶς , pas ( GEN παντός pantos ), i.e. "all" and κράτος , kratos , i.e. "strength", "might", "power". This is often understood in terms of potential power; i.e., ability to do anything, omnipotence . Christ pantocrator signifies Jesus in his glory during his second coming seated on his throne . Another, more literal translation

130-557: Is a specific depiction of Christ . Pantocrator or Pantokrator , literally ruler of all , but usually translated as "Almighty" or "all-powerful", is derived from one of many names of God in Judaism . The Pantokrator is largely an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic theological conception and is less common under that name in Latin Catholicism . In the West, the equivalent image in art

156-449: Is decorated with traditional motifs, and above it are mosaic icons of the archangels Michael and Gabriel , while one side of the entrance has icons of Saints Peter and Paul and the other of Kings David and Solomon . The porch's niches have marble plates commemorating four events: Metropolitan Simion Ştefan printing the first Romanian-language New Testament in 1648; the union of the three Romanian principalities achieved by Michael

182-642: Is known as Christ in Majesty , which developed a rather different iconography . Christ Pantocrator has come to suggest Christ as a benevolent, though also stern and all-powerful, judge of humanity. When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek as the Septuagint , Pantokrator was used both for YHWH Sabaoth ( צבאות ) " Lord of Hosts " and for El Shaddai " God Almighty ". In the New Testament , Pantokrator

208-514: Is one of the most common religious images of Orthodox Christianity. Generally speaking, in Byzantine art church art and architecture, an iconic mosaic or fresco of Christ Pantokrator occupies the space in the central dome of the church, in the half-dome of the apse , or on the nave vault. Some scholars (Latourette 1975: 572) consider the Pantocrator a Christian adaptation of images of Zeus, such as

234-540: Is painted with the Theotokos and scenes from the Bible . There are three octagonal spires, each lighted by eight windows, with an onion dome roof and a metal cross on top. In front of the carved and painted oak iconostasis and adjacent to the triumphal arch, there are large portraits of former Metropolitans of Transylvania Ilie Iorest and Sava Brancovici , as well as of the monks Visarion Sarai and Sofronie of Cioara , and

260-645: Is used once by Paul ( 2 Cor 6:18 ) and nine times in the Book of Revelation : 1:8 , 4:8 , 11:17 , 15:3 , 16:7 , 16:14 , 19:6 , 19:15 , and 21:22 . The references to God the Father and God the Son in Revelation are at times interchangeable, but Pantokrator appears to be reserved for the Father except, perhaps, in 1:8 . The most common translation of Pantocrator is "Almighty" or "All-powerful". In this understanding, Pantokrator

286-601: The Diocese of the Romanian Army . It is now the seat of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia , which has held this rank since 1998, having previously been a diocese since 1975. The building was renovated in 1993, the 75th anniversary of the 1918 Union. 46°04′06″N 23°34′11″E  /  46.068448°N 23.569821°E  / 46.068448; 23.569821 Alba Iulia Citadel Too Many Requests If you report this error to

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312-537: The martyr Oprea Miclăuş of Sălişte , all of whom were canonized in the cathedral in 1955. A pair of thrones inscribed with royal symbols was placed beside the iconostasis during the solemn coronation service. In addition to the iconostasis, the furniture and choir are also oak and decorated with Brâncovenesc motifs. The cathedral lies on a rectangular lot which has four pavilions , one in each corner, linked by galleries that recall those found in monasteries, formed of open double arcades held up by columns. Some of

338-492: The narthex . The tall nave is dominated by a cupola painted with the image of Christ Pantocrator and held up by four octagonal columns coated in Moneasa marble. The western wall of the nave has paintings of clerics from the time when the cathedral was built: Nicolae Bălan , Metropolitan of Transylvania , and Miron Cristea , Patriarch of All Romania , as well as votive portraits of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. The altar apse

364-548: The Brave in 1600; the execution of Horea, Cloşca and Crişan in 1785; and the merger of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church into the Orthodox Church in 1948, an act forced by the new Communist regime, supported at the time by the Orthodox Church but denounced as unlawful by Greek-Catholics. Also during that period, the authorities had the edifice's name changed to Catedrală Reîntregirii Neamului ("Cathedral of

390-596: The Unity of the People") in order to minimize associations with the abolished monarchy , but the "Coronation Cathedral" name staged somewhat of a comeback following the 1989 fall of the regime. One special feature are the paintings of historical figures or individuals who played a role in local religious life. Paintings of the ktitor of the first metropolitan church in Bălgrad, Michael the Brave, and of his wife Lady Stanca appear in

416-530: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 755302047 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:48:55 GMT Christ Pantocrator In Christian iconography , Christ Pantocrator ( Ancient Greek : Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ , lit.   ' Christ the Almighty ' )

442-405: The columns have Corinthian capitals with Brâncovenesc touches. The larger, eastern pavilions house the archdiocesan residence and administration. The smaller, western ones are used by those who run the building and grounds. The 58 m-high bell tower, with the entrance to the complex beneath it, lies between the western pavilions. From the early 1920s until 1948, the cathedral was the headquarters of

468-565: The conventional rhetorical gesture that represents teaching. The left hand holds a closed book with a richly decorated cover featuring the Cross , representing the Gospels . An icon where Christ has an open book is called "Christ the Teacher", a variant of the Pantocrator. Christ is bearded, his brown hair centrally parted, and his head is surrounded by a halo . The icon usually has a gold ground comparable to

494-570: The domes, resemble those found in Wallachian churches from the time of Matei Basarab and Constantin Brâncoveanu . The interior fresco painting, by Costin Petrescu and his apprentices, follows the dictates of traditional Byzantine Orthodox iconography while exhibiting Western influences. The entrance to the building has an open porch with large arches supported by columns with capitals. The portal

520-486: The gesture of teaching or of blessing with his right. The typical Western Christ in Majesty is a full-length icon. In the early Middle Ages , it usually presented Christ in a mandorla or other geometric frame, surrounded by the Four Evangelists or their symbols. The oldest known surviving example of the icon of Christ Pantocrator was painted in encaustic on panel in the sixth or seventh century, and survived

546-531: The gilded grounds of Byzantine mosaics . Often, the name of Christ is written on each side of the halo, as IC and XC . Christ's fingers are depicted in a pose that represents the letters IC, X and C, thereby making the Christogram ICXC (for "Jesus Christ"). The IC is composed of the Greek characters iota (Ι) and lunate sigma (C; instead of Σ, ς)—the first and last letters of 'Jesus' in Greek ( Ἰησοῦς ); in XC

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572-540: The great statue of Zeus enthroned at Olympia . The development of the earliest stages of the icon from Roman Imperial imagery is easier to trace. The image of Christ Pantocrator was one of the first images of Christ developed in the Early Christian Church and remains a central icon of the Eastern Orthodox Church . In the half-length image, Christ holds the New Testament in his left hand and makes

598-527: The national style promoted by Ion Mincu and Petre Antonescu , incorporating traditional forms of Romanian architecture , in particular the Brâncovenesc style , and adapting them to modern tastes. The plan, an inscribed Greek cross , draws upon the Târgovişte Princely Church . Similarly, the exterior decorative elements, such as niches, beads about the column capitals and arcades , as well as

624-479: The overpainting was cleaned in 1962, the ancient image was revealed to be a very high-quality icon, probably produced in Constantinople . The icon, traditionally half-length when in a semi-dome , which became adopted for panel icons also, depicts Christ fully frontal with a somewhat melancholy and stern aspect, with the right hand raised in blessing or, in the early encaustic panel at Saint Catherine's Monastery,

650-611: The period of destruction of images during the Iconoclastic disputes that twice racked the Eastern church, 726 to 787 and 814 to 842. It was preserved in Saint Catherine's Monastery , in the remote desert of the Sinai . The gessoed panel, finely painted using a wax medium on a wooden panel, had been coarsely overpainted around the face and hands at some time around the thirteenth century. When

676-400: Was meant to give the union added symbolic and religious weight. Ferdinand, a Roman Catholic, objected to being crowned inside an Orthodox church, so the coronation ceremony was held outside in the courtyard. In commemoration of the event, busts of the king and queen were placed on the grounds in 2008. The cathedral forms part of a group of buildings erected beginning in the late 19th century in

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