Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral

Rising 90 meters above Victory Square, the Metropolitan Cathedral is Timișoara's most recognizable silhouette. Completed in 1946 after decades of construction, it anchors the northern end of the city's main axis with a presence that is both monumental and deeply spiritual. The exterior draws from Moldavian church architecture — a conscious choice to create something distinctly Romanian in a city shaped by Habsburg rule. Eleven towers cluster around the central dome, their green patina now as much a part of the city's identity as the building itself. At night, carefully designed lighting transforms the cathedral into a beacon visible from across the Banat plain. Inside, the atmosphere shifts from impressive to intimate. Byzantine-style frescoes cover virtually every surface — walls, ceilings, columns — depicting saints, scripture, and liturgical scenes in deep golds and blues. The iconostasis, a masterwork of carved wood and religious painting, separates the nave from the altar. Natural light filters through high windows, catching dust motes and candle smoke in shafts that seem almost theatrical. The basement houses a small but significant museum: religious artifacts, historical photographs, and documentation of the cathedral's role during the 1989 revolution, when it provided sanctuary to protesters.