and gilded in 22-carat gold by master Ștefan Gajo, who also made the three chandeliers, the two candlesticks and the Lord's Tomb (located in the pronaos). The plan shape of the cathedral is the typical Byzantine one, in the shape of a cross, the interior being divided into narthex, pronaos, naos and altar. On either side of the pronaos are the side galleries. Above the awning, towards the pronaos, is the balcony of the choir, which can accommodate 150 people. The interior of the cathedral is illuminated by 16 windows in the main dome and 30 side windows. The exterior walls of the church are clad in apparent red and yellow-orange brick, as well as glazed discs and painted niches. In the middle of the facade is a mosaic icon of the cathedral's patrons, the Three Holy Hierarchs. Maria Laurenția Minulescu, the daughter of the poet Ion Minulescu, executed this 5.25-square-meter mosaic. The towers are covered with glazed tiles, made in Jimbolia, which contain the colors of the national flag (red, yellow, blue) on a green background. At the top of the towers are six crosses, three miters and six "heads" of crosses. The crosses were made by Iacob Schwab's company from Timișoara. The open hallway of the cathedral is supported by six large marble columns, each placed on a square pedestal. The entrance to the church is made through three massive doors in two wings, carved both outside and inside. There are also entrance doors on the sides, also carved. The entrance doors, the rows of chairs and the entire furniture along the sides of the naos and pronaos are the works of the sculptor Traian Novac. The interior decorations (pilasters, capitals, friezes, railings, frames, cases, etc.) were made by Ioan Cristescu's company from Bucharest. The floor of the church made of mosaic tiles combines the style and color of the Banat carpets, being executed according to the sketches of the painter . Museum exhibitions The cathedral houses the relics of Joseph the New, considered the protector of the Romanian Orthodox in Banat, former Orthodox bishop of Timișoara (1651–1655), who came from Mount Athos and then retreated to the Partoș Monastery. On 25 February 1950, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decided to canonize Joseph the New, as well as to relocate his relics from the church of the Partoș Monastery to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timișoara.