His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I signed the canonisation acts for four Romanian Athonite saints on Saturday: Sts Niphon of Prodromos Skete, Nectarios the Protopsaltes, Dionysius of Colciu and Petronius of Prodromos Skete.
The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of St George in Constantinople’s Phanar district, after the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate concluded its proceedings.
Alongside the four venerable fathers of Romanian origin, two other Athonite fathers were also formally listed among the saints: St Tikhon the Spiritual Father and St George the Athonite, known as “Hadjigeorgis”.
The Ecumenical Patriarch venerated the relics of Sts Niphon, Dionysius and Petronius, which were brought to the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the end of June.
St Dionysius of Vatopedi, commemorated on 11 May, and St Petronius of Prodromos Skete, commemorated on 24 February, were canonised during the 30–31 August 2025 session of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church subsequently included them in its calendar during the 29–30 September 2025 session.
St Niphon of Prodromos Skete, commemorated on 13 July, and St Nectarios the Protopsaltes, commemorated on 18 November, were canonised during the 18 October 2025 session of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The Romanian Orthodox Church included them in its calendar during the 25 October 2025 session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Photo: Ecumenical Patriarchate / Nikos Papachristou
