The Darvari Skete in Bucharest has received a relic of Saint Matrona of Moscow, which was brought out for public veneration on Tuesday evening following the Bridegroom Matins. The relic was offered by a Russian metropolitan impressed by the Romanian community’s devotion to the saint, especially after seeing an image of her icon displayed prominently at the chapel of the Healing Saints within the hermitage.
“Thus, we believe it was Saint Matrona herself who chose to come here,” said Protosyncellus Arsenie Irimiea, abbot of Darvari skete.
He recalled that Saint Matrona is known for answering prayers swiftly, often in astonishing ways. “That’s why I often say, with a kind of spiritual smile: you must be very careful what you ask of Saint Matrona—because she grants it quickly and precisely.”
Saint Matrona is venerated across the Orthodox world, not only in Russia, where thousands wait for hours daily to venerate her relics at the Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God in Moscow. Her reputation for miraculous healings and deep compassion has spread far beyond her homeland.
Testimonies
While on pilgrimage in 2008 to the Monastery of the “Protection of the Mother of God” in Moscow, abbot Arsenie Irimiea recounted his first encounter with Saint Matrona.
“It was not an ordinary encounter, but a mystical, profound, and personal one. I prayed then before her holy relics, and a few requests spoken only in my heart, with emotion and trust, were fulfilled almost immediately. For me, it was clear: this was a miracle,” Protosybcellus Arsenie Irimiea declared to Basilica.ro.
When doubt shakes the human heart regarding the choices a Christian must make in life, the saints become great intercessors between people and God. A miracle also occurred in the case of Father Abbot Arsenie Irimiea, from the very first prayer addressed to Saint Matrona.
“They were words concerning my path in life, the monastery I should choose, the direction I should follow in my monastic work—a discreet yet powerful sign that Saint Matrona had received me and guided me,” Protos. Arsenie Irimiea conveyed.
A Promise Fulfilled
The idealised portrayal of monastic life in books led to a yearning for the tranquil life of a monk, far from the world’s clamour.
“Years later, when the question arose of my settling at Darvari Skete in the heart of Bucharest, I found myself at a crossroads. From reading the Desert Fathers, the Philokalia, and the Patericon, I had formed an image of monastic life as a withdrawn existence, steeped in stilness, far from the noise of the world. And I had genuine reservations—how could one truly live a monastic life in the center of a city?” noted Protos. Arsenie Irimiea.
“In that period of inner turmoil, in the stillness of my heart, I felt once again the presence of Saint Matrona. Not through outward words, but through an inner certainty, like a whisper of light: ‘I, too, lived amid the city. If you settle there, I will come with you.’”
“It was a spiritual, mystical promise. It gave me courage. And today, looking back, I see clearly that this promise has been fulfilled.”
From the Life of Saint Matrona
Saint Matrona of Moscow was born in 1881 in the village of Sebino, into a devout peasant family. Though born blind, she proved from childhood to be a chosen vessel of God’s grace. At her baptism, a cloud of incense rose from the font, and a cross-shaped mark was visible on her chest. By the age of 6 or 7, she could discern the sins and thoughts of others.
Throughout her life, Saint Matrona visited holy places and was recognized as a chosen one of God, with Saint John of Kronstadt calling her “the eighth pillar of Russia.”
At 17, she became bedridden, yet continued to receive people, praying for them, offering counsel, and providing comfort. She lived in Moscow under the harsh conditions of communism, unregistered to avoid arrest, but tirelessly continued her spiritual work.
She received the faithful until her repose in 1952. In 1998, her relics were found to be incorrupt, emitting a pleasant fragrance. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1999, her veneration spread throughout the Orthodox world due to countless miracles performed.
In 2019, a documentary series titled The Wonderworker Woman was dedicated to her.
Final Thoughts
“This, I believe, is the mystery of her grace: her sacrificial love for others. Saint Matrona never sought peace for herself. Though blind from birth and suffering, she ceaselessly received people, comforted them, counseled them, and bore the burdens of others,” declared Protos. Arsenie Irimiea.
“She never withdrew for her own sake but burned, like a candle, for her neighbor. Her words held power not from bookish knowledge but from a living, active faith, nourished by the presence of Christ. She lived in the city, but her heart was in heaven.”
“The fact that a fragment of her holy relics is now at Darvari Skete is a miracle in itself and a great consolation for us all. It is as if the Saint kept the promise made in secret: ‘I will come with you.’ And behold, she has come,” concluded the abbot of Darvari Skete.
Photo: Darvari Skete
