Consecration of the Library of the Holy Synod at Antim Monastery

The Holy Synod Palace seated at Antim Monastery, the present place of the Holy Synod’s Library celebrates its centenary this year. In order to mark this anniversary, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and His Eminence Metropolitan Efrem of Ydra, Spetses and Egyna blessed the new reading room named Primate Metropolitan Atanasie Mironescu.

After the celebration of the consecration service the anniversary document was read by Rev. Archimandrite Policarp Chitulescu, Patriarchal Counsellor and Director of the Holy Synod Library who explained that this “anniversary document was drafted in a more lasting form having been written on a marble slab with gilded letters and put at the entrance into the building for remembering and continuing the efforts of our forerunners”.

Then, the Patriarch of Romania awarded Architect Ion Florescu the order of Sanctus Stephanus Magnus as a sign of appreciation and blessing for the support granted in order to renovate and endow the Holy Synod Library.

The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a speech in which he emphasised the historical aspect of the building.

“We want to express our appreciation for this library renovated from the space point of view and emphasise at the same time the fact that this library exhibits, besides the synodal grammatas for the enthronement of the Patriarchs of Romania, their pictures too. It is a very symbolic house because it was built from 1910 – 1912 and consecrated in 1912, while the amount of money came from the Church House, in the time of Minister Spiru Haret. The construction was thoroughly made and rather quickly, because a new seat for the Holy Synod was badly needed. The synod was small at the time. There were only the hierarchs from Wallachia and Moldova. The foundation stone was consecrated in the time of the Primate Metropolitan Atanasie Mironescu and the building in the time of Metropolitan Conon Aramescu Donici. This is why one of the halls is named Primate Metropolitan Atanasie Mironescu and the other one <>Primate Metropolitan Conon Aramescu.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel offered several books to the Library for its new beginning, among which the Religious Service of Saint Hierarch Nectarie from Egyna, and little icons of Saint Nectarie of Egyna for those present.

The Director of the Holy Synod Library presented the anniversary album of the palace’s history in text and images mentioning that the “anniversary of 100 years since the inauguration of the Holy Synod Palace invites us to a retrospective of the events unfolded in this symbolic building with all these moments included in a beautiful album (…). The album is bilingual, because it is translated into English too.

Rev. Archimandrite Policarp Chitulescu has also thanked the Patriarch of Romania for the care and help given, and offered an original engraving of this symbolic building, while His Eminence Efrem offered an engraving designed to remember this moment.

Hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church, personalities and other guests attended the event.

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