A jewel-box of a church wedged between the bars and restaurants of the Old Centre, Stavropoleos was founded in 1724 by a Greek monk and is the finest surviving example of the Brâncovenesc style — a Wallachian synthesis of Byzantine, Ottoman, and Italian Renaissance elements. The carved stone door frame, the painted interior, and the slender colonnaded porch are exceptional.
The small courtyard behind the church holds a lapidary of Romanian tombstones and architectural fragments rescued from buildings demolished during the Communist era. The nuns sometimes sing Byzantine chant during services, which is worth timing a visit around. Entry is free and the church stays open from morning until evening most days.