Romania: Latest Gold And Silver Proof Coins Mark 300th Anniversary Of Historic Stavropoleos Monastery

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the construction of the Stavropoleos Monastery Church in Bucharest which commenced in October 1724.

Built on the orders of Nicholas Mavrocordatos, Prince of Wallachia from 1719 to 1730, along with the support of the Supreme Abbott Ioannikios Stratonikeas (1681 – 1742), a Greek monk from the village of Pogoniani, he would become both the Abbott of the monastery and metropolitan of Stavropolis and exarch of Caria in 1726. The church was designed in the Brâncovenesc style, a particular and distinct artistic genre that evolved during the administration of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The patrons of the church or, the saints to whom the church is dedicated are St. Archangels Michael and Gabriel. In 1742, the Metropolitan Ioannikios died at the age of 61 and was buried in his church. A building which housed the Monastery’s Inn as well as the Monastery itself were demolished at the end of 19th century and over time, the church itself suffered substantial from earthquakes, one in particular which caused the dome to fall. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century when the dome and paintings were fully restored.

Today, all that remains from the original monastery is the church, alongside an additional building from the beginning of the 20th century constructed following the plans of architect Ion Mincu (1852 – 1912) who was a specialist in the Romanian Revival style. This building houses the Church’s library of over 8000 books of theology, arts and history as well as byzantine music books – the largest collection of its kind in Romania. The building also contains an extensive collection of early 18th century icons, ecclesiastical objects and parts of wall paintings recovered from other churches demolished during Romania’s communist regime. In 1991, the Church received its first pastor since the fall of communism in the country, a hieromonk who is both monk and priest in the Eastern Christian tradition who oversees community’s routine worship, as well as their activities in renovating old books, icons and sacerdotal clothes. Of noteworthy interest is the Church’s Stavropoleos Choir known for their neo-Byzantine music consisting of a single voice part, sustained by a prolonged sound known as ison - or tonic note, and rarely heard in churches in Romania. The Choir has performed in Romania and abroad and have released music CDs whose sales are applied to the support of the Church. After more than 20 years of restoration work the church of Stavropoleos Monastery was reconsecrated during the Feast of the Holy Trinity on the 4^th June 2012. The structure, though small in size continues to be one of the more popular sites and attractions for visitors to the old town of Bucharest.

The proof quality coins are produced by the Monetăria Statului, Romanian State Mint at their facilities in Bucharest on behalf of the National Bank. The common obverse of the gold and silver coins depicts a detailed current street view of the Stavropoleos Church Monastery as seen from the corner of Stravropoleos and Postei streets. An inscription BISERICA MANASTIRII STAVROPOLEOS – 300 DE ANI (Stavropoleos Monastery Church – 300 Years) surrounds the image above and along the rim. The reverse side features a distinctive architectural element which is found on part of the covered porch along with the denomination 100 LEI (gold) or 10 LEI (silver). Also included is the crest of Romania placed above the coin’s face value. The text ROMANIA is shown just to the upper left along the rim and the year of issue, 2024 is placed below the primary design along the lower rim.  

Available from the 18^th November, both gold and silver coins are encapsulated and accompanied with a certificate of authenticity containing the signatures of the NBR governor and the central cashier. They are available directly through the Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi, and Timişoara regional branches of the National Bank of Romania. For additional information, please visit the National Bank’s numismatics section.