Wednesday marks 35 years since the repose of Mother Alexandra, born Princess Ileana of Romania, daughter of King Ferdinand I “the Unifier” and Queen Marie.
She was born at Cotroceni Palace on 23 December 1908 (sometimes given as 5 January 1909 under the revised calendar). Through her mother, she was related to the royal families of Great Britain and Russia.
The international press once called her “the most beautiful child in Europe”. She grew into a model princess, following in her mother’s noble footsteps through artistic talent and social involvement.
She founded the “Queen’s Heart” Hospital in Bran in memory of Queen Marie, worked as a nurse during the Second World War, and led Romania’s Girl Guides as well as the YMCA Christian Women’s Association.
Studies
She studied at Heathfield College in Ascot, Britain, and was athletic, with a passion for yachting—holding a long-distance captain’s licence—as well as for the fine arts. She studied painting with Jean Al. Steriadi and sculpture with Ion Jalea.
She married twice. From her first marriage to Archduke Anton of Austria, she had six children. In 1959, one of her daughters, Archduchess Maria-Ileana (Minola), died in an air accident.
“Duty comes first”
In 1965, she became a nun in France, taking the name Mother Alexandra. In 1967, she founded the first English-speaking Orthodox monastery in the United States, the Transfiguration Monastery in Pennsylvania, at Ellwood City, where she served as abbess.
She returned to Romania only once, in September 1990, when she was warmly welcomed by 2,000 people in Bran.
Mother Alexandra reposed surrounded by her family on 21 January 1991 in Youngstown, Ohio, at the age of 82. She was buried at the Ellwood City Monastery, with a handful of Romanian soil placed beside her.
“From the beginning of your life, you are a public person. You belong to the country. Your personal amusement plays no role. Your duty comes first,” she told Archbishop Irineu of Alba Iulia, who met her during his studies at Princeton University.
“In my heart, I always wished to become a nun. But there was so much to be done in Romania when I was young,” she said.
Photo: Renașterea Radio
