 In order to free the space to build the cathedral (which took up five lots on Mitropoliei Street and three on Xenopol Street, where it also has an entrance), eight nearby houses had to be demolished, as well as the little Greek church built in 1797-1799 that had heretofore served as a cathedral.Work, coordinated by city architect Iosif Schussnig, began in 1902 and was finished in 1904, when the copper roof was done.The plan, by Virgil Nagy and Iosif Kamner of Budapest, was chosen from among designs submitted by 31 mainly Austrian and Hungarian architects.