Thousands of Romanians gathered in Bucharest this week to see the opening of the country’s new national cathedral, now known as the largest Orthodox church in the world. The new cathedral has become a symbol of faith and pride for many people in Romania.
The huge building, located behind the Parliament Palace, took 15 years to complete. Its official opening attracted long lines of visitors from all parts of the country. Among them was Maria Rusu, a retired woman who travelled from the city of Cluj with her husband. “We came just to see it and to walk inside the altar,” she said. “It is beautiful and our country deserves it.”
The National Cathedral will now serve as the main headquarters of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Romania is a deeply religious country where about 85 percent of its 19 million citizens belong to the Orthodox faith. The older cathedral was no longer large enough to hold the growing number of worshippers.
The new building stands at 127 meters (417 feet) high and can hold about 5,000 people inside. The open area around the church can fit tens of thousands more. Church officials expect up to 40,000 people to visit the cathedral each day this week.
The idea of building a national cathedral began more than 100 years ago but was delayed many times due to wars and Romania’s communist era. Priest Adrian Agachi said the completion of the project is a historic achievement. “What was not possible in 126 years was done in the last 15,” he said.
The cathedral cost around 270 million euros (about 315 million dollars) to build. Most of the funding came from the government, which caused debate among citizens. Some people feel the money could have been used for schools or hospitals instead.
Despite the criticism, many Romanians see the cathedral as a major national success. To them, it represents both their strong Christian faith and their cultural identity. As people continue to visit and pray, the new cathedral stands as a proud landmark for the whole nation.
