5/5 Tony 4 years ago on Google
Madona
Dudu
Cathedral
is
one
of
the
biggest
Orthodox
churches
in
Craiova,
famous
for
the
miracle-working
icon
of
the
Virgin
Mary
which
it
hosts.
Many
tourists
and
pilgrims
cross
its
threshold
every
day
to
participate
in
the
religious
services
or
to
pray
to
the
miraculous
icon.
Its
name
can
be
translated
as
the
“Holy
Mother
from
the
mulberry”,
which
comes
from
a
legend
according
to
which
the
icon
was
found
in
a
mulberry,
on
the
spot
where
the
church’s
altar
lies
nowadays.
One
day,
a
Spanish
Jew
found
the
icon
and
took
it
in
order
to
sell
it,
but
the
icon
miraculously
disappeared
from
his
bag
and
appeared
back
in
the
mulberry.
Going
back
to
the
mulberry,
the
Jew
took
the
icon
again,
but
the
story
repeated
itself.
The
news
spread
soon
after
and
the
owner
of
the
orchard,
convinced
that
he
faced
a
miracle,
decided
to
found
a
church
in
honour
of
the
Virgin.
The
church
was
built
right
on
the
spot
where
the
mulberry
was
and
the
icon
was
placed
inside.
Hearing
about
the
icon’s
miracle-working
ability,
many
tried
to
steal
it,
but
without
any
result.
In
1801,
the
Turks
set
fire
to
the
city
and
the
church
burnt
to
the
ground
with
everything
inside.
Soon
after,
people
found
the
icon
untouched
under
the
fallen
walls.
The
same
thing
happened
in
1838,
when
the
church
was
affected
by
an
earthquake.
The
icon
was
never
restored
and
is
currently
kept
in
perfect
condition
inside
Madona
Dudu
Cathedral.
It
is
still
considered
to
be
miraculous,
as
it
survived
untouched
after
several
disasters
and,
at
times,
tears
fell
from
the
Virgin’s
eyes.
The
Madona
Dudu
Cathedral
was
built
in
Brâncovenesc
style
between
1750
and
1756
over
the
older
wooden
church,
but
the
first
documented
mentioning
dates
from
1758.
From
its
construction,
the
church
went
through
numerous
restorations,
being
destroyed
and
rebuilt
several
times
during
the
years.
The
fires
and
earthquakes
destroyed
many
of
the
initial
icons
and
furniture.
The
restorations,
made
by
a
Viennese
architect,
added
Baroque
decorations,
while
the
exterior
painting
has
the
signature
of
Gheorghe
Tattarescu,
who
also
contributed
to
the
Metropolitan
Cathedral
in
Iaşi.
During
the
years,
the
church
and
its
annexes
also
served
as
a
hospital
and
a
school.
Inside
the
church
you
can
admire
the
furniture
and
the
iconostasis,
carved
by
the
sculptor
Constantin
Brâncuși,
who,
as
a
child,
benefited
from
a
scholarship
given
by
the
church
to
poor
children
so
that
they
could
continue
their
studies.
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