Romania
Cluj-Napoca
Most of the paintings in the Orthodox cathedral are faded and in need of restoration. As the cathedral was built in the 1920s, it is a sad testament to what a little bit of sunlight and a lot of incense and candles can do in less than a century. The mosaics, on the other hand, have held up better.
This summer I discovered another Orthodox parish, that of Sts Constantine and Helena. The current church was completed in the last decade, and its murals are bright and colourful.
The church’s iconostasis, consisting mainly of icons painted on glass, is also of interest.
Nicula Monastery
A famous origin of icons on glass is the monastery outside of the village of Nicula, near Gherla. I spent one sleepless and undernourished week here. Unfortunately, I was not permitted to take many photos.
Nicula Monastery is best known for its wonder-working icon of the Theotokos with Child which wept for a month in 1699.