He was called "the engineer of heaven" for saving a dozen churches from destruction during communist rule in Romania. Civil engineer Eugeniu Iordachescu died on January 4, but he left a lasting legacy on the Bucharest skyline. During the rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the 1980s, thousands of structures were demolished in the Romanian capital. But Iordachescu developed a system to move entire structures that saved many churches and other buildings from destruction.
The Man Who Saved Romanian Churches From Destruction

1
Eugeniu Iordachescu developed a unique system to place entire buildings on a structure similar to railroad tracks in order to move them away from areas slated for reconstruction. In 1985, the 16th-century Mihai Voda Orthodox Church was moved in tandem with its stand-alone tower.

2
Weighing 9,000 tons, the Mihai Voda Orthodox Church was the biggest building that Eugeniu Iordachescu moved. The rail system he developed in Bucharest was similar to one used by Czechoslovak engineers to move the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the city Most in 1975.

3
Mihai Voda Orthodox Church in its new location in Bucharest. Romanians paid homage to Iordachescu at the church on January 6, two days after he died from a heart attack.

4
The Mihai Voda Orthodox Church was built in 1594 by Prince Michael the Brave and also served as a monastery. It was moved 289 meters from its original location.