History of the Cathedral
Not far from the old monastic center in Rădăuţi - the Bogdan Vodă Church - stands, today, on the coast of the central park, imposing and slender at the same time, the Orthodox Cathedral dedicated to the "Descent of the Holy Spirit".
The idea of building the cathedral in Rădăuţi dates back to 1920, under the name of the 'Church of the National Union', but the foundation stone was only laid in 1927.
The works were done under the auspices and subsidy of the Metropolitanate of Bucovina until 1948, and from this date until May 1961, under the auspices and subsidy of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia and Suceava, with the participation - in all 34 years - of the faithful through monetary contributions and through social work.
Cathedral architecture
The cathedral has an area of 550m², a length of 60 and a height of 50 meters. The architecture of the church is of a modern type, having three naves adapted to the needs of Orthodox worship. The nave has two rectangular apses that give the church a traditional, pointed character, and the separation from the pronaos is made with two large double arches.
The grandiose spire rests on four strong pendants, being unique in Romania because it has a particula all around at the bottom, which is reached by a concrete spiral staircase. The pronaos is vaulted, forming a spherical dome, and above the side naves there is a wide loggia, increasing the space of the church.
A spacious balcony can be found above the door at the entrance to the church, where, in a special resonance, the choir participates in the holy liturgies. Cylindrical columns that end in the upper part with Corinthian capitals support the vast loggia and the balcony that extend above the side aisles and the main door of the church.
The roof of the cathedral consists of a central tower guarded by a cross 6m high and 4m wide (arms), four smaller towers around and two belfry towers, all with corresponding crosses, on either side of the main entrance to the church , giving symmetry, balance and harmony to the building.
The cathedral has four doors made of oak wood: through the main one and those to the south and north you enter the pronaos and nave, and through the two smaller ones into the altar and through a corridor into the balconies, vestibule and basement, in front of all being mosaic concrete steps. The interior receives natural light through 131 round windows of different sizes.
Source: www.catedraraladauti.ro