The Roman-Catholic Church of the Piarists, the Piarist Church for short, is located at 5 Universității Street. The church, originally known as the Church of the Jesuits of Cluj, is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and is the first Catholic church built in Transylvania after the Protestant Reformation. It is also the first Baroque ecclesiastical building in the province. The church was built between 1718 and 1724 according to the plans of Christoph Tausch.

The contrast between the sober architecture of the exterior and the architectural ornaments inside make the Piarist Church a true jewel of the Baroque style. The building is also a prototype for a number of other churches built later in Transylvania. Until 1959, the Statue of the Plague - the statue of the Virgin Mary - was placed in front of the church, which was then moved behind St. Peter's Church by the communist authorities.

The construction of the Piarist church, together with the construction of the Stronghold (1715 - 1723), were part of a building plan for Cluj, following the integration of Transylvania into the Habsburg Empire at the end of the 17th century. Sf. Ignațiu de Loyola, întemeietorul Ordinului Iezuit; Sf. Xaverius, ilustrat într-o pictură ce reflectă unul dintre miracolele realizate de sfânt, însănătoșirea unei femei și a copilului acesteia. Sfântul mai este numit și „apostolul de Indii”; Sf. Ioan Nepomuk, și el protector împotriva epidemiilor, în mod special împotriva ciumei, considerat protectorul Banatului; Sf. Calasanza, patronul Ordinului Piarist. În secolul al XVI-lea, călugărul franciscan Iosif de Calasanza a pus bazele unui ordin ce urma să se dedice pentru educația copiilor săraci. În sanctuar, se află pictura „Sfânta Treime”, de mari dimensiuni, sub aceasta fiind regăsită icoana făcătoare de minuni. Icoana o reprezintă pe Fecioara Maria și a fost pictată de către preotul Luca din Iclod pentru biserica de la Nicula. Icoana a ajuns în posesia iezuiților în anul 1724, când a fost și pusă în edificiul de pe strada Universității – unde se află și azi. Astfel, la Nicula a rămas o copie a icoanei făcătoare de minuni, deși mulți localnici cred că icoana de acolo este cea originală.

Icoana din Biserica Piaristă este strâns legată și de realizarea așa-numitei statuie a ciumei, statuia Sf. Maria, aflată în prezent în spatele Bisericii Sf. Petru din Cluj-Napoca. Pe perioada epidemiei de ciumă, între anii 1737-1739, mulți credincioși s-ar fi vindecat de această boală în urma rugăciunilor adresate Sf. Fecioara Maria. Astfel, guvernatorul Anton Kornis comandă, în semn de recunoștință, realizarea unei statui dedicată Mariei Protectoare. Statuia a fost așezată în fața bisericii de pe strada Universității din anul 1744, până în 1959.

Biserica iezuiților devine Biserica Piaristă în anul 1776, când în urma desființării temporare a Ordinului Iezuit, Împărăteasa Maria Tereza le oferă piariștilor edificiul de pe strada Universității din Cluj.

The building is built in the Baroque style and is based on the model of Austrian churches (which are characterized precisely by the contrast between the exterior architectural sobriety and the rich interior decoration). The church has a single nave, with three side chapels dedicated to various saints, including St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order; St. Xaverius, depicted in a painting reflecting one of the miracles performed by the saint, the healing of a woman and her child. The saint is also called the “Apostle of the Indies”; St. John Nepomuk, also protector against epidemics, especially plague, and considered the protector of Banat; St. Calasanza, patron saint of the Piarist Order. In the 16th century, the Franciscan monk Joseph of Calasanza founded an order dedicated to the education of poor children. In the sanctuary, there is a large-scale painting of the Holy Trinity, beneath which is the miracle-working icon. The icon depicts the Virgin Mary and was painted by the Priest Luca from Iclod for the church of Nicula. The icon came into the possession of the Jesuits in 1724, when it was also placed in the building on Universității Street - where it still stands today. Thus, a copy of the miracle-working icon has remained in Nicula, although many locals believe that the icon there is the original.

The icon in the Piarist Church is also closely related to the realization of the so-called Plague Statue, the statue of Virgin Mary, which is currently located behind St. Peter's Church in Cluj-Napoca. During the plague epidemic between 1737 and 1739, many believers are said to have been cured of the plague after prayers to the Virgin Mary. In gratitude, the governor Anton Kornis commissioned a statue dedicated to Mary, the Protectress. The statue was placed in front of the church on Universității Street from 1744 until 1959.

The Jesuit Church becomes the Piarist Church in 1776, when following the temporary disbanding of the Jesuit Order, Empress Maria Theresa gives the Piarists the building on Universității Street in Cluj.

The Piarist Church in Cluj is one of the most impressive Baroque monuments in Transylvania, built between 1718-1724 by the Jesuit Order. Dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the church houses the icon of the Virgin Mary with Child, painted by the Priest Luca from Iclod, part of a famous collection of icons considered to work miracles.

After the dissolution of the Jesuit Order in 1773, the building was transferred to the Piarist Order by Empress Maria Theresa.

Today the church serves the Roman Catholic community and hosts religious services.