The Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași is the largest historic Orthodox church in Romania and the seat of the Archbishop of Iași and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina. Built in the second half of the 19th century in a Neoclassical style, it dominates the central boulevard and is a permanent fixture in the daily life of the city. Pilgrims arrive year-round to venerate the relics of Saint Parascheva, the patron saint of Moldova, whose bones are kept in a silver reliquary in the cathedral.
The interior is grand and frescoed in the 19th-century Romanian style, and the cathedral is active throughout the day with services and prayer. On the feast day of Saint Parascheva (October 14), hundreds of thousands of Orthodox pilgrims converge on Iași — the city fills well beyond its normal capacity, and queues to venerate the relics can stretch for kilometres. If you visit at this time, expect crowds; if you visit on a normal day, the cathedral is quiet and easy to explore.