Jesus once fed 5000 taken literally by Orthodox faith? 5000-seater church in Romania will shock you;half the height of Burj Khalifa: National Cathedral in Bucharest stands at 417 ft, costs $315 mn

Thousands of Romanians are making the journey to Bucharest to see the country’s newly opened National Cathedral, which has become the world’s largest Orthodox Christian church. Maria Rusu and her husband drove overnight from Cluj in western Romania to reach the capital.

“We came specifically to see the church, to walk inside to the altar,” said Rusu, a 72-year-old retired economist, after waiting in line for hours on Thursday, October 30 . “Romania deserves it,” she added.

The cathedral, which opened its doors on Sunday, October 26, after 15 years of construction, will serve as the official seat of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It replaces the smaller patriarchal cathedral built in the mid-1600s in downtown Bucharest.

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Construction fulfills century-old vision

Plans for a national cathedral began more than a century ago, following Romania’s independence, but were repeatedly delayed by wars, communist rule, and economic instability before the country joined the European Union.

“What hadn’t been possible before in 126 years was achieved in the last 15 years,” said priest Adrian Agachi, representing the Romanian Patriarchate.

The cathedral’s mosaic iconography was consecrated on Sunday by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the global spiritual head of Orthodox Christians, alongside Romanian Patriarch Daniel.

Massive structure dominates Bucharest skyline

Standing 417 feet (127 meters) tall, the cathedral can seat 5,000 worshippers inside and accommodate tens of thousands more outside on its esplanade. It sits behind the Parliament building, a remnant of Romania’s communist era, where entire neighborhoods were demolished to make space.

Agachi said as many as 40,000 pilgrims could visit daily, with hundreds of thousands expected to pass through by the week’s end.

Funding sparks debate amid public admiration

The cathedral’s construction cost about 270 million euros ($315 million), financed mostly through public funds, a point of contention among critics who question the use of taxpayer money.

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Despite the debate, the Romanian Orthodox Church remains one of the country’s most trusted institutions. About 85 per cent of Romania’s 19 million citizens identify as Orthodox, reflecting the church’s deep cultural influence.