The first church on the site , with the same dedication , was made of wood and known as the Franciscans ' Church ( '' Biserica Franciscanilor '' ) . A 1753 document , issued during the reign of Prince Matei Ghica , noted that a Catholic church had stood in Iași since the founding of Moldavia . In 1741 , Grigore II Ghica donated two vineyards to the church . Three years later , Stanislau Jezierski , the Catholic bishop of Bacău , noted that the church was small and ready to collapse . Rebuilt in 1763 , it was destroyed by fire in 1766 . The church was rebuilt in brick starting in 1782 , and was blessed in 1789 . The ceiling fell during the 1802 Vrancea earthquake , prompting repairs . The fire of 1827 , which affected much of the city , destroyed the roof , again necessitating work . In 1861 , the priest Ioan Eugeniu Zapolski restored and expanded the church . In 1869 , upon the request of Bishop Giuseppe Salandari , the interior was painted by a Franciscan friar from Italy . Salandari was buried in the church upon his death in 1873 , as were eleven other bishops and priests . The south wall of the church features a sundial that seemingly dates to 1813 . Until the early 19th century , the building was used as a monastery , and was the center of the Franciscan mission . It became a cathedral when the Iași Diocese was set up in 1884
1802 Vrancea earthquake
1802 Vrancea earthquake
Assumption of Mary Church, Iași