Based in Bucharest (Romania) and also serving Sofia (Bulgaria), the Church of the Resurrection is part of the Church of England’s “Diocese in Europe” and part of the worldwide Anglican Communion of over 70 million people.
Presently the church often hosts jazz, classical and medieval music concerts.
The attractive church building in the centre of Bucharest was dedicated in 1922 and has provided continuous Anglican worship in Bucharest since then, apart from a brief period during the Second World War.
Services are held in English, although the congregation is international and multicultural. In Bucharest, Sunday worship starts at 10 am and includes children’s Sunday School.
The church has a rich and interesting history. A regular attendee in the early days was Queen Marie of Romania, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Although on her marriage to Crown Prince Ferdinand she had joined the Orthodox Church, she continued to attend the English services in Bucharest, and it was largely due to her support that the present building was completed. Various members of the Royal Family have attended the church at different times.
The land on which the church stands was made over to the British Crown by deed of gift in December 1900, and the external fabric was completed by 1914. The interior furnishings had been ordered from England however, and it was not until after the end of the First World War that work was finally finished.
Easter Sunday 1920 saw the first service to be held in the new church, which was finally dedicated by the Bishop of Gibraltar on the 5th November 1922.
A wooden panel at the back of the church records the names of the chaplains over the years, with a telling break from 1940 to 1966. In fact the church was far from inactive during these “blank” years, during which Eastern Europe experienced such trauma and suffering. Although closed after the Christmas Day service 1940 until Christmas Day 1944, the church thereafter managed to maintain worship throughout the worst of the Stalinist period, with priests visiting from as far as Vienna and Malta to conduct services, baptise and marry members of the British and American Legations, and ensure the upkeep of the building.
From here continue onwards to the Arthur Verona street – landmark to street art scene of the city.
Address: no 2, Alexandru D. Xenopol street
Access: 10 minute walk from Romana Square metro – blue line – via Arthur Verona street
