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18-404: The church was built in 1724, during the reign of Nicholas Mavrocordatos (Prince of Wallachia , 1719-1730), by the archimandrite Ioannikios Stratonikeas, a Greek monk from Pogoniani . Within the precinct of his inn, Ioannikios built the church, and a monastery which was economically sustained with the incomes from the inn (a relatively common situation in those times). In 1726 abbot Ioannikios

36-549: A number of his adversaries, including Lupu Costachi , but was deposed by the troops of Prince Eugene of Savoy after the raid on Bucharest , and was held prisoner in Braşov and Sibiu . Replaced by his brother John until 1719, he was restored after the Peace of Passarowitz through which the country lost its westernmost part, Oltenia , to the Habsburgs; Nicholas' second ascension followed

54-456: A period of major distress, including a bubonic plague outbreak and a major fire in Bucharest (it is possible that John himself had died as a result of the epidemic). Prince Nicholas died while in office in Bucharest; he was succeeded as prince of Wallachia in 1730 by his son Constantine Mavrocordatos , who would rule Wallachia six times and Moldavia five times until 1769. Nicholas Mavrocordatos

72-511: A rare occurrence for churches in Romania. The monastery's library has over 8000 books of theology, byzantine music , arts and history. There are patristic , biblical, dogmatic, liturgic , historical, homiletic , catechetic writings, classic languages dictionaries and textbooks, studies on Byzantine art and Orthodox iconography, and on the Romanian history and civilization of the 18th century. Some of

90-600: A virtual library project by digitizing its old books. The music sung during the offices is neo-Byzantine , based on the works of 19th century Romanian psalmodists: Macarie the Hieromonk , Nectarie the Hermit , Anton Pann , Dimitrie Suceveanu , Greek chants translated into Romanian, or modern compositions. The Stavropoleos Byzantine Choir was created in 1994, and is led by archdeacon Gabriel Constantin Oprea who officiates and chants at

108-462: Is the name of a family of Phanariot Greeks originally from Chios , a branch of which was distinguished in the history of the Ottoman Empire , Wallachia , Moldavia , and modern Greece . The family, whose members given the title of Imperial Count by Leopold I in 1699 later became Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia , was founded by the merchant Nikolaos Mavrokordatos (1522–1570) from

126-647: The Divan (1697), and consequently the first Phanariote Hospodar of the Danubian Principalities , Prince of Moldavia , and Prince of Wallachia (both on two occasions). He was succeeded as Grand Dragoman (1709) by his brother John Mavrocordato (Ioan), who was for a short while hospodar in both Wallachia and Moldavia. Mavrocordatos was born in Constantinople . Deposed as Prince (Hospodar & Voievode) of Moldavia in favor of Dimitrie Cantemir , owing to

144-618: The Stavropoleos Church and teaches Byzantine music at the National University of Music Bucharest . The group has performed in Romania and abroad, and they are issuing their music on CDs. Nicholas Mavrocordatos Nicholas Mavrocordatos ( Greek : Νικόλαος Μαυροκορδάτος , Romanian : Nicolae Mavrocordat ; May 3, 1670 – September 3, 1730) was a Greek member of the Mavrocordatos family, Grand Dragoman to

162-421: The beginning of the 20th century. All that remains from the original monastery is the church, alongside a building from the beginning of the 20th century which shelters a library, a conference room and a collection of old (early 18th century) icons and ecclesiastical objects, and parts of wall paintings recovered from churches demolished during the communist regime . This new building was constructed following

180-556: The books are from the donated personal library of art historian Vasile Drăguț, former rector of the Bucharest University of Arts . There is a significant number of old books: more than 80 manuscripts and 400 printed works. There are Romanian , Greek , and Church Slavonic books. The Byzantine music books collection is the largest in Romania, and consists mostly of the donations of two Romanian byzantologists , Sebastian Barbu-Bucur, and Titus Moisescu. The monastery has started

198-588: The execution of Ștefan's son. He was also noted for awarding tax exemptions to the majority of high-ranking boyars, as one of the first rulers to concede to the growth of monetary economy and the decay of manorialism . In 1716, during the Austro-Turkish War , Mavrocordatos attempted to resist Habsburg invasion, but was betrayed by his boyars and had to flee to the Ottoman-held town of Rousse . He returned to Bucharest with Ottoman assistance, and executed

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216-523: The first Greek novel, Philotheou Parerga / The Leisures of Philotheos . A polyglot , he surrounded himself with savants from several parts of Europe, including the Daniel de Fonseca and Stephan Bergler ; his library was among the continent's most treasured. Mavrocordatos engaged in a correspondence with major religious figures of his time, including Jean Leclerc , William Wake , Archbishop of Canterbury , and Chrysanthus , Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem ;

234-616: The first Phanariote in that country – after the Porte decided to regulate the same system following the rebellion of Ștefan Cantacuzino . According to Anton Maria Del Chiaro , the Florentine secretary to Constantin Brâncoveanu (predecessor and rival of Ștefan Cantacuzino), Mavrocordatos tortured and otherwise persecuted Wallachian boyars who had supported the Cantacuzinos, and also ordered

252-901: The first volume written by an author from the Danubian Principalities to be published in England was Mavrocordatos', and it is during his last rule in Wallachia that a more intimate knowledge of politics and society in the Kingdom of Great Britain became evident in historical records kept by locals (the chronicler Radu Popescu recorded the accession of George II as King of Great Britain ). He died in Bucharest , aged 60. [REDACTED] Media related to Nicholas Mavrocordatos at Wikimedia Commons Mavrocordatos The House of Mavrokordatos ( Greek : Μαυροκορδάτος ), variously also Mavrocordato , Mavrocordatos , Mavrocordat , Mavrogordato or Maurogordato ,

270-510: The plans of architect Ion Mincu . The church has been pastored since 1991 by father Iustin Marchiș , the first hieromonk of the church in the last century. The community living here, besides routine worship, is engaged in renovating old books, icons and sacerdotal clothes. The choir of the church sings (neo-) Byzantine music (a single voice part, sustained by a prolonged sound called ison - approx. translation: accompaniment -, or tonic note), now

288-565: The suspicions of his Ottoman overlord, Sultan Ahmed III , he was restored in 1711 (after Cantemir's rebellion during the Russo-Turkish War of 1710-1711 ), and, for this second rule, is considered the first in a line of Phanariotes in Moldavia (indicating that the election by the traditional Moldavian council of boyars was no longer enforced). Soon afterwards, he was replaced by Mihai Racoviță and became ruler of Wallachia, being thus

306-434: Was elected metropolitan of Stavropolis and exarch of Caria . Since then the monastery he built is named Stavropoleos , after the name of the old seat. On February 7, 1742 Ioannikios, aged 61, died and was buried in his church. The inn and the monastery's annexes were demolished at the end of 19th century. Over time the church suffered from earthquakes, which caused the dome to fall. The dome's paintings were restored at

324-710: Was the first in a line of rulers appointed directly by the Porte . He introduced Greek manners, the Greek language and Greek costume, and set up a splendid court on the Byzantine model. At the same time, Mavrocordatos was influenced by the Age of Enlightenment , the founder of libraries, the builder of the monumental Văcăreşti Monastery and of the Stavropoleos Church , and himself the author of an original work entitled Peri kathekonton / Liber de Officiis (Bucharest, 1719). He wrote also

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