Cultural

Basilica’s ‘Week in Pictures’ marks 400th edition, eight years online

The Basilica News Agency’s Week in Pictures project has marked two milestones this week: eight years since its launch and the publication of its 400th edition. Since its launch in July 2018, the project showcases each Monday a curated selection of the most representative photographs capturing the life of the Orthodox Church both in Romania…

Jul 29, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Quo Vadis Film Festival 2026 to include an exhibition of Orthodox photography: How to submit photos

The International Quo Vadis Film Festival 2026, in cooperation with Byzanfest, will organize an exhibition of Orthodox photography entitled “My Neighbour: Orthodoxy around the World”. Anyone can enter the final selection by submitting up to two photographs that reflect the Orthodox Christian faith as it is practiced in parts of the world other than countries…

Jul 15, 2026Ștefana Totorcea

Archaeologists uncover previously unknown 1,600-year-old early Christian basilica in northern Italy

A vast early Christian basilica dating back approximately 1,600 years, previously unknown to scholars, has been discovered in the Italian town of Oderzo, in the province of Treviso, northern Italy. According to a report by Archaeo Reporter, the discovery was made on the site of the town’s former fish market during preventive archaeological excavations that…

Jul 9, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Beijing exhibition showcases UNESCO-listed Hurezi Monastery

Hurezi Monastery has been showcased in Beijing in an exhibition dedicated to the Brâncovenesque heritage. The exhibition opened on Wednesday at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing. According to a press release, the exhibition forms part of a cultural programme highlighting one of Romania’s most representative UNESCO World Heritage monuments. Entitled Hurezi Monastery: Romania in…

Jun 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Two previously unknown sermons by Blessed Augustine identified in medieval manuscript

Two previously unknown sermons by Blessed Augustine have been identified in a twelfth-century Latin manuscript preserved at a monastery in Poland, according to the University of Würzburg in Germany. The discovery was made during research conducted by Professor Christian Tornau of the German university. His study began in 2024 when he was asked to examine…

Jun 25, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian women in history: Presbytera Elena Alistar, physician, educator and champion of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania

Elena Alistar, the first of seven children born to Fr Vasile Balan and Presbytera Elizaveta Balan in the village of Vaisal, Ismail County, was born on 1 June 1873. She married Fr Dimitrie Alistar, who served in Răzeni, Chișinău County. During that period, she worked as a teacher for children in several villages. Sadly, her…

Jun 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Damaschin of Dorna: Church music finds its true purpose in worship

Assistant Bishop Damaschin of Dorna officiated Vespers on Monday at the Church of the Presentation of the Lord (“Vovidenia”) in Botoșani, where he reflected on the role of church music. The liturgical service formed part of the programme of the Iași International Byzantine Music Festival. The bishop highlighted the authentic meaning of church music and…

May 29, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian women in history: Elena Caragiani, Romania’s first female pilot and aviation journalist

Wednesday, May 13, marked 139 years since the birth of Elena Caragiani-Stoenescu, the first Romanian woman to obtain an aeroplane pilot’s licence. She was also a modern explorer and the first journalist to report from an aircraft. She was born in Tecuci into the family of a well-known Aromanian physician. In 1913, she became one…

May 25, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing hosts exhibition on Resurrection and heritage restoration

The Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in Beijing is hosting the exhibition “Resurrection – Creation and Restoration”, featuring 44 works by artist Elena Murariu, including 24 icons created using graphic and watercolour techniques. Alongside the iconographer’s works, the exhibition also includes documentary images depicting the stages of restoration projects at national heritage conservation sites in Romania.…

May 22, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archaeologists say they may have identified biblical Bethsaida on Sea of Galilee

A possible biblical mystery may have been solved, with archaeologists claiming to have identified the village of Bethsaida in Israel. The locality is mentioned in the New Testament and associated with several miracles performed by Jesus Christ. Researchers began excavations a decade ago at the archaeological site of El-Araj, located on the north-eastern shore of…

May 18, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania’s space pioneer Dumitru Prunariu receives church distinction on 45th anniversary of historic mission

Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, the first Romanian to fly into space, received on Thursday the Metropolitan Order of “Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest” on behalf of Patriarch Daniel. The distinction was presented to the astronaut by Protosyncellus Simeon Cuțui, Cultural Exarch of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, during a festive session of the Romanian Academy marking…

May 15, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu