Transfiguration Cathedral, Catholic cathedral in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
The Transfiguration Cathedral is a baroque church in Cluj-Napoca with an ornate interior featuring large-scale ceiling frescoes. The paintings were created by Hungarian artist Ferenc Lohr and cover much of the upper interior space with religious scenes and decorative designs.
Construction took place between 1778 and 1779 after the original structure collapsed due to engineering failures. The rebuilding received financial backing from the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, allowing the current building to be completed.
The cathedral has roots in the Armenian community, with the wealthiest families historically connected to its development and upkeep. The interior contains memorials that display the names and coats of arms of these families who supported the church.
The cathedral sits on Bulevardul Eroilor in central Cluj-Napoca and is straightforward to locate. Since the building functions as an active place of worship, visiting hours may be limited or shifted around service times.
The interior blends Central European baroque design with unexpected Byzantine elements, including an ornate iconostasis added several decades after the building's completion. This later addition reveals how the church evolved to serve its changing congregation.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
