On the site of the present church or immediately nearby , an earlier church with the same name was built under Matei Basarab ( 1632-1654 ) , first mentioned in a document of 1660 . According to Nicolae Iorga , the name comes from Baptista Vevelli ( Romanianized as '' Batiște '' ) , influential adviser to Radu Mihnea and possible '' ktitor '' . Another theory holds that a cattle grazing area in the vicinity was beaten down ( '' bătătorit '' ) by their hooves , and that this designation produced the name for the surrounding neighborhood and its church . Bucharest was hit by an earthquake in 1738 and by a fire the following year ; it is possible that the first church was destroyed at the time
in 1738
1738 Vrancea earthquake
Batiștei Church