More than 25 thousand international tourists visited Bucharest’s Patriarchal Palace in 2022.
According to the annual report presented by the National Church Council, the Conference Centre of the Patriarchal Palace hosted 147 events organized by the Romanian Orthodox Church or by national or international institutions and commercial companies.
Numerous events organized by the Romanian Patriarchate usually take place in the building, including meetings of the Holy Synod, national theology and sacred art conferences, concerts, exhibitions, scientific communication sessions, and other cultural events.
Official receptions of high-ranking guests are also held at the Palace of the Patriarchate. The most recent include the visits of King Charles III of Great Britain when he held the title of Prince of Wales, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Francis.
On the site of the current Palace of the Patriarchate, the Assembly of Deputies met to elect Alexandru Ioan Cuza as prince of the united Romanian Principalities on January 24, 1859.
The new building of the Chamber of Deputies was built in 1906-1911 according to the project of the Romanian architect Dimitrie Maimarolu, but in the 1990s it had become unsafe.
The building returned to the Romanian Patriarchate in 2010, and the Church worked for four years on a project to attract European funds for the repair of the palace.
After winning €18 million in EU funding, the rehabilitation work was carried out in record time over a two-year period – sometimes with 500 people working at once.
The rehabilitated palace was blessed by Patriarch Daniel of Romania on June 6, 2016. On January 9, 2017, it was reopened to the public.
Source: basilica.ro