Holy Synod issues Synodal Act to mark 250th anniversary of the translation of St Demetrius the New’s relics to Bucharest

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church issued an anniversary act on the 250th anniversary of the translation of Saint Demetrius the New’s relics to Bucharest.

The document, written on parchment and signed by all the members of the Holy Synod, was read by the Patriarch of Romania last Saturday at the end of the Divine Liturgy.

Please find below the full text of the anniversary synodal act.

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Anniversary Act

By the will of the Father, the work of the Son, and the accomplishment of the Holy Spirit, this year, declared by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as the Solemn Year of Pastoral Care and Assistance of the Sick and the Commemorative Year of All Unmercenary Healers, the Patriarchal Cathedral celebrates today, Saturday, July 13, 2024, the 250th anniversary of the translation of the relics of Saint Demetrius the New from Basarabov to Bucharest (1774 – 2024).

The history of Wallachia from the 18th to the 21st centuries testifies to Saint Demetrius the New as a great miracle worker due to the healings he has performed over a quarter of a millennium since God blessed the Romanian people with the arrival of the relics of Saint Demetrius in Bucharest and their placement in the Metropolitan Cathedral, which became the Patriarchal Cathedral in 1925.

Declared in 1792 as the Protector of Bucharest by Metropolitan Filaret II of Wallachia, Venerable Saint Demetrius has remained an intercessor in the prayers of the faithful to God at all times, especially in difficult moments caused by drought, famine, fires, wars, or epidemics of plague, cholera, typhus, and the recent Covid-19 pandemic.

Over time, in times of need, the Metropolitans of Wallachia organized historic processions with the relics of the Venerable Demetrius to protect and strengthen the faithful people.

Notable processions include:

  • April 19, 1803, during the reign of Prince Alexandru Ypsilanti for the end of drought;
  • 1813, due to the plague during the reign of Prince Ioan Vodă Caragea;
  • 1821, the procession from the Metropolitan Cathedral to the church of Saint Demetrius – Post Office, in the context of Tudor Vladimirescu’s Revolution;
  • 1827, during the drought under the reign of Grigore Vodă Ghica;
  • September 15, 1831, during General Pavel Kiseleff’s administration during a cholera outbreak;
  • March 23, 1847, during the reign of Prince Gheorghe Bibescu, following a great fire that destroyed a large part of Bucharest;
  • July 1870 due to the Diphtheria epidemic during the reign of Carol I, Prince of the Romanian Principalities;
  • Between 1929-1949, processions for rain were organized in the Bărăgan Plain;
  • 1940 due to significant earthquakes;
  • 1944, at the end of World War II, the relics of Saints Demetrius the New and Parascheva from Iași were carried in procession on October 27, on the occasion of the autumn patronal feast of the Patriarchal Cathedral.

Recognizing that Saint Demetrius the New is highly revered by the Romanian Orthodox people, at the proposal of Patriarch Justinian Marina of blessed memory, the Holy Synod proclaimed on October 27, 1955, the generalization of the devotion to this great saint.

The first procession outside the Patriarchal Cathedral with the relics of Saint Demetrius the New, after the fall of the atheist communist regime, was organized at the initiative of Patriarch Teoctist Arăpașu of blessed memory on October 29, 2006, on the occasion of the consecration of the monastery church dedicated to the Sunday of the Romanian Saints, which he founded.

Since 2008, at the initiative and with the blessing of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the celebration of the patronal feast of Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest (October 27), includes the procession called the Path of the Saints, during which the relics of Saint Demetrius are carried with great reverence by thousands of pilgrims, along with priests from the deaneries of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, through the streets of the city centre.

Honouring the saints is a duty of conscience for the entire Romanian Orthodox people. Therefore, in the Commemorative Year of All Unmercenary Healers, Saint Demetrius the New is celebrated uniquely, revealing himself for over 250 years as a great saint, a quick helper, and an unmercenary healer of many sick people.

In this context, at the initiative and with the blessing of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, several projects have been carried out between 2020-2024, contributing to the special veneration of Saint Demetrius the New:

  • The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, during its solemn working session on July 5, 2022, decided to inscribe in the Church Calendar the feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Demetrius the New to Bucharest, on July 13;
  • In the working session on July 4, 2023, the Holy Synod approved the text of the Service for the Translation of the Relics of Saint Demetrius the New to Bucharest, and in the working session on October 25, 2023, approved the standardization of the title of Saint Dimitrie the New as Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest, as well as the standardization of the saint’s icon, in which he is depicted as holding the Patriarchal Cathedral in his left hand and a shepherd’s staff in his right hand;
  • Several volumes presenting the piety of the faithful towards Saint Demetrius the New have been printed by the Cuvantul Vietii Publishing House of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobruja;
  • The icon of Saint Demetrius the New has been painted in mosaic technique in the narthex of the National Cathedral;
  • The most extensive pilgrimage with the relics of Saint Demetrius took place between March 4 – April 21, 2024, in the Archdiocese of Bucharest, in the deaneries of Câmpina, Ploiești North, Ploiești South, Vălenii de Munte, Urlați, Ilfov North, Ilfov South, Sectors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Capital;
  • The historic silver reliquary, in which the relics of the Venerable Demetrius are currently kept, made in 1879 at the initiative of Metropolitan Ghenadie Petrescu by the craftsman Teodor Filipov, has been restored at the workshops of the Romanian Patriarchate, and a silver filigree kukul (monk’s head covering) has been made at the workshops of the Romanian Patriarchate, which is placed on the revered relics of Saint Demetrius the New;
  • Today, Saturday, July 13, 2024, on the 250th anniversary of the translation of the relics of Saint Demetrius the New from Basarabov to Bucharest, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, together with the hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, priests, and deacons, in the presence of a large number of faithful from the country and the diaspora;

We pray to the Most Holy Trinity and Saint Demetrius the New to grant everyone strong faith and love for the Church, and thus, with a humble heart, together let us glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and say: “God is wonderful in His saints” (Psalm 67:36).

Patriarch Daniel and all other members of the Holy Synod sign the document.

Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu

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