On Monday, His Grace Bishop Makary of Glavinitsa, Auxiliary Bishop to Metropolitan Naum of Ruse of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the cave church founded by St. Theophano Basarab near the Bulgarian city of Ruse.
Joining him were Father Ivan Ginel Aurelian, representing His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania; Father Kiril Sinev, representative of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Bucharest; and Father Dimitry Dimitrov, parish priest of the “Dormition of the Theotokos” and “St. Paraskeva” Church in Borovo, Bulgaria.
“We were blessed to serve in the place where a saint, both Romanian and Bulgarian, once lived,” said Father Ivan Ginel Aurelian, noting St. Theophano’s Romanian roots as a descendant of the Basarab family and her deep connection to Bulgaria, where she spent much of her life.
Metropolitan Naum of Ruse initiated the tradition of including a Romanian priest in the annual October 28 service at St. Theophano Basarab’s cave church three years ago.
Saint Theophano Basarab
Born Theodora, St. Theophano was the daughter of Prince Basarab I, founder of Wallachia, and sister to Voivode Nicholas Alexander Basarab, who achieved recognition for the Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia.
She served as Bulgarian tsarina before retreating into monastic life amid challenging circumstances. St. Theophano was the first recorded Romanian-born nun, a contemporary of St. Gregory Palamas, and a disciple of St. Theodosius the Hesychast.
The Romanian Orthodox Church canonized her on February 22, 2022, in recognition of her revered status among both Bulgarians and Romanians, particularly in the Timok region.
Photo: Fr. Kiril Sinev
