“Annunciation” Church – Banu

"ANNUNCIATION" CHURCH - BANU "Annunciation" Church - Banu is the oldest wall church in Buzău County, dating from the 16th century. It was built as the church of a monk monastery in 1571, being "renovated from the ground up" by Andronic Cantacuzino, the great ban [noble title] of Craiova of the divan of Michael the Brave, in 1593. In the following years Andronic donated several estates to his foundation. Later, the ban [noble title] Ianache Catargiu and Dionisia Călugărița (in other documents Dionisia băneasa, probably his wife) gave the monastery estates at Rușețu and Vernești. On 3rd June 1594 Michael the Brave gave the monastery nine mill wheels on Buzău river, former royal mills, and three other mill wheels on the town's land. The renovation of the church began during the reign of Constantin Brâncoveanu and it was completed in 1722, by Andreiana (Adriana), born Fălcoianu, after the death of her husband, the great vornic [historical rank for an official in charge of justice and internal affairs] Șerban Cantacuzino. After the earthquake of 1802, it was renovated again in 1805, through the care of hegumen Joseph. Banu Monastery was abolished, but following the secularization of the monastic estates during the reign of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, its church continued to function as a parish church. In 1884, some buildings adjacent to the church were demolished, including the bell tower, and the old wall iconostasis at interior was replaced with one made of carved wood, it was repainted (the painter Gheorghe Tattarescu participated), the roof was replaced with polychrome glazed tiles brought from Vienna. The architecture of Banu Church is distinguished from the other churches in the city by the proportion and harmony of the exterior lines, which have a pronounced influence of the style of Brâncoveanu. Of particular interest it is the carving in smoked oak of the iconostasis, the bishop's chair, the pulpit, the iconostasis, the entrance doors and the choir loft, also executed in 1884. In the courtyard of Banu Church there is the funerary monument of Costache Canella Ciorogârleanu, (1820-1886), publicist, editor, linguist, the first lay journalist from Buzău, author of the first Romanian dictionary of synonyms, graduate and director of the National School of Buzău, founder of the publication "Independența română" (1870-1886). At his death he left the city a library of 300 volumes. Banu Church is included in the list of Historical Monuments (BZ-II-m-A-02319).