Romania’s National Day, honouring the martyrs of the communist prisons, is observed annually on 14 May in memory of the thousands of people arrested by the totalitarian regime, according to Agerpres.
The date was chosen to commemorate the night of 14–15 May 1948, when the communist authorities launched one of the largest waves of political arrests in post-war Romania. More than 10,000 young people, intellectuals, students and opponents of the regime were detained, interrogated and sentenced.
Many of those imprisoned were sent to the communist prisons of Aiud, Gherla, Pitești, Sighetu Marmației and Râmnicu Sărat.
Among them were also Orthodox confessors of the faith, including monk Nicolae Steinhardt, Archimandrite Arsenie Papacioc, Archimandrite Iustin Pârvu, Fr. Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa, Saint Dumitru Stăniloae and Saint Sofian of Antim.
Some of the confessors of the faith who suffered in communist prisons were canonised by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2024, with the solemn proclamation of canonisation taking place in 2025, a year proclaimed by the Romanian Patriarchate as the Commemorative Year of Romanian Orthodox Spiritual Fathers and Confessors of the 20th Century.
Establishment of the commemorative day
The National Day honouring the martyrs of the communist prisons was established through Law No. 127, adopted by the Romanian Parliament and promulgated in 2017.
The legislation provides that central and local authorities, cultural institutions and public media outlets organise commemorative events dedicated to the victims of the communist regime.
These activities include official ceremonies, wreath-laying events and cultural or educational programmes recalling the sufferings endured by those persecuted for faith and freedom.
The law also stipulates that on 14 May, public media institutions should prioritise materials dedicated to communist repression and the events of 1948.
Read more: Romanian Patriarchate marks March 9 as day of remembrance for anti-communist political prisoners
Photo: Facebook / Aiud Memorial
