St. Barbara is the protectress of miners, which is why an unusual and very beautiful church in Targu-Ocna, Romania is situated 240 meters below the earth where miners work.
The church was built and furnished between April and December of 1992, being consecrated on 4 December 1992 which is the feast of St. Barbara. It is open daily from 7:00AM-5:00PM and services are only conducted here on Easter, on December 4th in honor of St. Barbara and on special occasions.
It is the only church in all of Europe built entirely of salt and below over 200 meters. Almost all the furniture is made of salt as well, such as the wall murals, the large chandelier, the stalls, the bishop's throne, as well as other objects used in the worship services.
The church is quite large, brightly lit, and missing nothing regarding tradition Orthodox architecture. The iconostasis features 24 icons.
