Cultural

Royal Choir Conductor: I discovered my love for music in the Church

Antonel Temistocli, the Royal Choir’s conductor – a youth ensemble under the high patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania, says that his love for music began in the Church in childhood. “Compared to other children who had the opportunity to study at specialized schools, I exercised this passion in the Church, where…

Mar 23, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Scroll fragments with the texts of prophets Zachariah and Nahum found in the Judean Desert

The Israel Antiquities Authority  (IAA) has discovered in some desert caves 80 new fragments of a 1,900-year-old Biblical scroll with texts from prophets Zachariah and Nahum. Marcello Fidanzio, the Director of the Archaeological and Cultural Institute of Biblical Lands in Lugano, declared for Vatican News it is the first discovery of note since the great…

Mar 19, 2021Ștefana Totorcea

Photo competition inspired by the Hagia Sophia basilica highlights the concept of “Wisdom of God”

The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO) and Orthphoto.net launched last week a photography competition inspired by Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia Basilica (“The Church of the Holy Wisdom of God”). Participants are invited to send images of temples dedicated to the Wisdom of God from all over the world, be they Orthodox or from other Christian denominations.…

Mar 17, 2021Ștefana Totorcea

Egypt: Team led by Romanian archaeologist discover world’s oldest known monastery

A Franco-Norwegian team led by Romanian archaeologist Victor Ghica discovered the oldest archaeologically attested monastic site in the world. The site is 370 kilometers south-west of Cairo, Egypt, and it dates back to the 4th century. The discovery made at Tall Ğanūb Qaṣr al-‘Ağūz, in the al-Bahariya oasis, certifies that Christian monasticism was born in…

Mar 17, 2021Ștefana Totorcea

The Face of God: It is the responsibility of all of us to preserve God’s creation

“The Face of God,” a recently released film, features Orthodox Christian perspectives from North America on climate change. The film presents reflections based on the experience and responses from Orthodox communities on the ecological crisis. Voices of clergy and lay leaders, scientists and theologians, as well as parish communities, focus on ecology, theology, and our…

Mar 11, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Mother Alexandra honoured in Iaşi: Commemoration service and exhibition

Princess Ileana, the last princess of Romania, better known as Mother Alexandra, was commemorated in Iași, Romania, on the 30th anniversary of her repose. The National Athenaeum in Iași inaugurated a photo exhibition in her honour. The memorial service was held in the Artists’ Chapel of the Athenaeum and attended by the institution’s management, employees,…

Jan 29, 2021Ștefana Totorcea

Orthodox organization invites children to strengthen faith through a short film competition

A Christian Orthodox organization from Sidney, St Ypomoni Family and Friends Ministry, launched a short film competition for children. The initiative aims to strengthen their faith and make them reflect on the main message of the Gospel: love of God and of one’s neighbour. “Fruits of the Spirit” is the theme of this inaugural edition.…

Jan 22, 2021Ștefana Totorcea

Orthodox high school students lay garland of red carnations on Eminescu’s shoulders to mark National Culture Day

The students of the Orthodox Pedagogical High School “Anastasia Popescu” in Bucharest continued this year the tradition of placing a garland of red carnations on the shoulders of the statue of Mihai Eminescu in front of the Romanian Athenaeum to mark Romania’s National Culture Day. Prof. Monica Șerbănescu, the director of the high school, posted…

Jan 21, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

“Colours of Orthodoxy. Finland” photo contest winners announced

The winners of the “Colours of Orthodoxy. Finland” photo contest were announced at the end of October. The jury assembled online to evaluate the 880 photos sent by more than 100 participants from ten countries. Of these, 20 photos were selected for each category.  the winning ones were selected. To decide the Grand Prize winner,…

Nov 10, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Yelena Popovic, director of the film about St. Nektarios: An Orthodox Christian can offer a lot to the world

Yelena Popovic, writer and director of “Man of God”, the film about St. Nektarios’s life,  offered Basilica News Agency an exclusive interview in which she speaks of the value of Orthodoxy and of God’s presence in her life and in the life of the film’s collaborators. The movie was made in cooperation with the Vatopaidi…

Nov 9, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Romanian films at Byzanfest feature St. Nicholas and the children from Valea Plopului as main characters

Two Romanian films are registered in the Byzanfest Orthodox Film Festival, which is unfolding online between October 23 and November 8: a psychological drama where the main character turns out to be St Nicholas and a documentary showing an educational game with the children from the Orthodox Valea Plopului settlement. “500” is nominated for the…

Nov 6, 2020Ștefana Totorcea