In the basement of the cathedral is the collection of religious art of the Metropolis of Banat. This collection, organized at the initiative of Nicolae Corneanu since 1962, includes objects of ancient religious art from all over Banat. The collection currently holds over 3,000 rare volumes of church books, over 800 religious icons and paintings and over 130 church objects (precious metal artifacts, clothing and ornaments). There is also a collection of early writings in Romanian. Examples include the 1648 Noul Testament de la Bălgrad ("The New Testament of Bălgrad") and the 1643 Cazania lui Varlaam ("The Homiliary of Varlaam"). The side of the basement from the altar includes the necropolis of the metropolitans of Banat. The first metropolitan buried here was (metropolitan during 1947–1961). References See also List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings List of tallest domes Romanian Orthodox cathedrals in Romania Religious buildings and structures in Timișoara Churches completed in 1940 20th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Historic monuments in Timiș County