The church “Saint John the Baptist” in Slatina was built in the western part of the city, in the neighborhood Gradiste, in 1796, during the reign of Alexander Ypsilanti, with the blessing of Metropolitan Gregory. It was painted in 1824 and repaired several times in the years 1824, 1876, 1923, 1951. According to the inscription, in the years 1984-1985 was restored the painting – original fresco.
Prince Alexander Ypsilanti was ruler in Romanian Country between September 15, 1774 – February 1782 and August 1796 – December 1797 and in Moldavia between December 1786 – April 19, 1788. He descended from a Greek family in Constantinople, which was established in the country and has related with Romanian boyars. Before receiving the reign, he was dragoman of the Porte. He was a very educated and eager to reform.
The first investment was made against the will of Muntenians boyars, who according to a Dutch document dated 3 November 1774 had chosen “Ștefan Prascoveanu as their”. He formed a new reign council , composed almost entirely of landowners boyars, in which was also included Stephen Prascoveanu. The exception was the governor backrest, entrusted to a Greek friend,but this one, also, towards the end of reign, was entrusted to Ienăchiţă Văcărescu. Spared the monasteries of several taxes and only puts a tax for supporting the schools. Takes on the reign payment, mail horses, which until then had to be maintained by the inhabitants. Designates captains to guard borders and public peacefulness. Organizes courts, then prints in Romanian a register of laws, draws up a registry in which, all protocols of judgments and documents presented in a lawsuits, were registred. He was the nephew of Constantine Psiolu, Greek brought in Moldavia by Grigore Ghica the second, in 1736 and was appointed Prince t the insistence of Thugut. During his short reign in Moldova, the janissaries sent to guard the borders of Russians attacked Iasi City which they robbed ; janissaries attacked also the royal palace, where they were hardly rejected, they rob the villages, from where they take a lot of cattle. Afterward, Ypsilanti lets himself to be taken as prisoner by the Austrians.
In the second reign in the Romanian Country, Ypsilanti was greedy. He loses the throne because of Admiral Chiuciuc Husein’s interventions, who having to fight against Pasvanoglu asks that in the place of the old Ypsilanti to be named Constantine Hangerli. Ypsilant, in 1780 prints a Pravilniceasca register, composed after the Byzantine laws and after the land custom. Thereby, is, for example, the provision that the girl should not have the right to inheritance after the death of parents if she has been endowed. Another provision states that only boys should inherit the estate from from which comes the family name, while the girls should only come at the sharing of the other estates. Ypsilanti’s register represents a progress, because it is a civil law not only a ecclesiastical and a penal one, as were the rites of Matei Basarab and Vasile Lupu. Also Ypsilanti founded in Bucharest three tribunals of appeal at the Reign Divan.