The largest of the churches built in Bucharest during the reign of Constantin Brancoveanu, New St. George's Church was consecrated on June 29, 1707. It was a wonder of the age, having been designed by an Italian, Vaseleli, and decorated by the great Romanian maestros of the times: the painter Parvu Mutu, the carpenter Istrate and the sculptor Caragea. Damaged in a fire in 1847, the church was renovated from 1852-3 by the Spanish architect Villacrosse. At the same time, new and outstanding interior murals were added by Marian Popp. A further round of both exterior and interior renovation - including the restoration of many paintings - ended in 2014, when Brancoveanu was made a saint. Once buried underneath the church, Brancoveanu's remains are now found on display inside.
