Banu Church

The first church on the site was built of oak beams in 1704 by the great ban Savin Zmucila, and had its own graveyard.

[1] Together with the parishioners, Metropolitan Iacob Stamati [ro] contributed a large sum of money for a new church;[1] he also supplied the liturgical objects.

Early the following year, he began painting the church interior, but the work remained incomplete upon Stamati's death that March.

[1] Located to the east, the graveyard functioned until the late 19th century; the National College was built on the site.

[1] In the early 20th century, the church owned a brewery and a set of valuables donated by Costache Conachi.

[2] A fresh restoration took place in 1948, when Corneliu Baba ordered the painting erased, as it was blackened, peeling and of low artistic value.

The 1940 Vrancea earthquake had widened an existing crack in the south wall, and the repair filled this with brick.

During a plaster repair on the altar in 1968, a mural icon of Madonna and Child was discovered; this was possibly done by Altini in 1803.