The Armenian Church

During the Midlle Ages the economic activity in Roman was tightly linked to the existence of a numerous Armenian community, which brought an important contribution to the stimulation of trade and craftsmanship production or to the facilitation of financial operations.In that direction, Nicolae Iorga inferred that, in 1609, in Roman used to live more than 500 Armenian families, not a negligible number if we consider the proportions of the borough and the number if its inhabitants at that begining of the XVII.th century.

Naturally, the Armenian community of Roman made efforts to procure an appropriate cult dwelling, concern that might have been manifested even since the XVI.th century, if we give credit to the tradition by means of which it is mentioned the information regarding the purchase of a small wooden church in 1355, from the Saxons of Transylvania. But, either this got destroyed or did not correspond with the requirements of a continuously developing community, it was necessary to build a spacious stone church, that was achieved in 1609, as it results from the original inscription, translated by the Bishop Melchisedec Ştefănescu:

„By God’s grace, generosity and will and by the choise of the almighty God and into the glory of the Born from He, in these harsh times, God chose one good man called Lord Agopşa, who built this temple in the name of the Mother of God, unto the mentioning of his name and his wife’s name, Lady Mughala and his parents Lord Vastanu and Dolvath and his sons, Lord Vastanu, Saco…and of Lord Donigu and of his Daughters Meluşa and Dolvath, on the year 1058(according to the Armenian calendar),September(1069). Father Khaciaduru.”

Another inscription on the Northern wall informs us that the actual edifice is the result of some more recent works, performed during 1863-1868, under the supervision of the Bavarian architect, Johan Brandel of Daggendorf. At that time the church was enlarged and renewed, in accordance with a neoclassical project, disbursed by Donica Simionovici – owner of the Simioneşti manor(Cordun) – and by Teodor Solomon, which had a manor in Butnăreşti-Roman. During these works the height of the church was increased, the church verandah with the bell tower was built and were added the teggerey room and the room of the Saint Gifts, making it look more like the Armenian church of Iaşi, which had been restored in 1803.

As it looks in the present, the Armenian Church of Roman is a monumental edifice that strikes by the unprecedented aspect of the facades and authoritatively dominates the surrounding area. It has a cross-shaped plan, with lateral apses of a rectangular shape and a semicircular altar apse, a massive pedestral made of carved stone and an exterior surface fitted with bricks lied horizontally. The stone resettes that decorate the lateral apses, the frameworks of the 19 windows and the cornice profiled with oblong dentils increase the construction’s beauty and the two spires(from the nave and from the church verandah), with their friezes sculpted in stone, provide elegance and slenderness to the entire edifice.

Also, the interior is decorated with stone profiles and sculptures which, trought their motives inspired by Armenian, Persian or Arabian influences, remind of the oriental and the sensation of monumentally is consolidated by the amplitude of the vaults, supported by the same slanted arches, characteristic for the Moldavian churches.

The painting of the iconostasis and of the icons on the nave and the ante-temple reflects the influence of Armenian art and – most likely – was realized during the works from 1863-1868, together with Pantocrator and The Four Evanghelists from the base of the main spire.

Because there were only a few Armenian families left in Roman, and the abandoned church started to decay, the Episcopate obtained, in March 1981 from the Armenian Archiepiscopate of Bucharest, the cession of the edifice…for temporary use during an unlimited period. On the basis of this agreement there were performed extensive works of restoration, consolidation and arrangement, the iconostasis was brought forwardly and the space necessary for the altar was provided, by adjusting the church to the requirements of the Orthodox cult. Thus, subsequently to the scarification from the 15.th of August 1991, the dwelling became a parochial church included in the eparchy of the Episcopate of Roman.

Liviu G