“Saint John the Baptyst” Church, also known by the names of its founders – “Grecescu”, is situated in the proximity of the former hospital which also bore the name of “Grecescu Hospital”.

Initially, the founder intended to build the church in the center of the city and to name it the “Episcopacy of Severin”, fact which didn’t materialize because of the fact that the authorities from that period refused to assignment of the field on which there was going to be built the church, and the aristocrat Ioan Stoian Grecescu, cow bargainer, started to build the hospital with the material initially destine for the church, in the year 1866.

The desire to also build a church was however accomplished after it was obtained, with great efforts, also two plats – 1214 and 1215 – near the premise of the hospital which was being built.

The works were developed according to the plans of the architect Enderle from Bucharest, they were supervised by the engineer Iulian Simion and Ioana Grecescu, and the works were developed until the finishing because of the support of testamentary nephews of the founder.

The church is in the shape of a cross according to the plans of the architect Enderle according to the model of the monastery Curtea de Argeș. At the entrance there is found a vestibule followed by a nave, narthex and altar separated by the arches. Also, the church has two opened towers and two spiral towers made of concrete.

Even from the placement of the foundation stone, the founder Grecescu received the declaration offered from the family Poenary for the amount of 1000 Austrian golden for the painting which was executed in the Neo-renascent style, in the oil technique, by a painter known in the era – Gh. Tătărascu.

The painting was washed and reconditioned in several times, in this manner: in the year 1938 by the painter D. Norocea, and in the year 1965 by the painter Traian Testioreanu, after which there was performed the re-consecration of the church by His Eminence the Metropolitan Firmilian Archbishop of Craiova and Metropolitan of Oltenia.

Also, in the year 1917 the German occupation troops took the copper plate, and in the year 1944 the roof and the covering suffered damages from the bombardment of the English – American aviation, each time being made the appropriate reparations.

The reparation – consolidation works were made after the earthquake from the year 1977 by the masters and the engineers from the construction enterprises existent at that date in the city.

The church doesn’t have holy relics and until the starting of the new cathedral of the city it had, starting with the year 1885, a statute of cathedral, awarded formally by the City council from that year because of the fact that the first cathedral – the “Assumption of Mary” church, named “Maioreasa” – was in a state of ruin in the year 1885.