On 30 July 1925, the Ecumenical Patriarchate issued a Synodal Tomos recognising the establishment of the Romanian Patriarchate, confirming the decision adopted by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on 4 February of the same year.
In accordance with the canonical order, the Holy Synod’s decision was communicated to the sister Orthodox Churches through an irenic letter sent on 12 March 1925.
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
The document provides a brief history of the Romanian Orthodox Church, from the rise of the first Romanian principalities to its elevation to patriarchal status, emphasising that the Romanian people were among the earliest nations to adopt Christianity.
The letter was signed by Patriarch Miron Cristea, bearing the title “Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Ungro-Wallachia and Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church,” and set out the reasons why the Romanian Orthodox Church should be elevated to the rank of a patriarchate.
“The head hierarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Metropolitan of Ungro-Wallachia, exercises moral authority as president over five metropolitan sees (…). In these circumstances, he can be nothing other than what the exceptional importance of this reality and the history of the other Orthodox Churches with national organisation require: Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church,” the irenic letter states.
Response of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Ecumenical Patriarch Basil III welcomed the establishment of the Romanian Patriarchate by sending a letter to Patriarch Miron Cristea, in which he addressed him by his new patriarchal title.
The Synodal Tomos recognising the Romanian Patriarchate was brought to Bucharest and presented at the Patriarchal Cathedral on 27 September 1925 by a delegation comprising Metropolitan Joachim of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Germanos of Sardis, and Spyridon Constantinidis, Grand Dragoman of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Ecumenical Patriarch Basil III also sent an encyclical letter to all the autocephalous Orthodox Churches announcing the recognition of the Romanian Patriarchate.
Metropolitan Primate Miron Cristea was enthroned as the first Patriarch of Romania on 1 November 1925 at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.
Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate
The recognition of the Romanian Patriarchate by the Ecumenical Patriarchate formed one of the historical milestones commemorated during the Centennial Year of the Romanian Patriarchate in 2025.
The anniversary year began on 4 February, marking 100 years since the Romanian Orthodox Church was elevated to the rank of Patriarchate. On that occasion, Patriarch Daniel and the members of the Holy Synod proclaimed the canonisation of 16 Romanian saints, who were subsequently proclaimed locally in the dioceses that proposed their canonisation.
Other major events during the Centennial Year included the consecration of the Holy Chrism in April, celebrations marking the 140th anniversary of the recognition of the Romanian Orthodox Church’s autocephaly, an international theological symposium in Bucharest dedicated to the centenary and the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, and the consecration of the National Cathedral on 26 October by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Patriarch Daniel, together with the members of the Holy Synod.
Read more: Five key figures behind the founding of the Romanian Patriarchate
Photo: Basilica.ro
