The National Cathedral will reopen its doors to worshippers during the International Meeting of Orthodox Youth (ITO 2026), which will take place in Bucharest from 31 August to 3 September. According to a statement from the Romanian Patriarchate’s Press Office, the National Cathedral will host several liturgical services and conferences next week. On Thursday, 3…
“We want this event to provide an opportunity for dialogue, prayer and communion, and to raise awareness of the importance young people have for the Church and society in general,” Father Adrian Agachi, spokesman for the Romanian Patriarchate, said on Thursday at a press conference dedicated to the 2026 International Meeting of Orthodox Youth. The…
On Thursday, Romanian President Nicușor Dan visited the headquarters of the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia, where Bishop Veniamin welcomed him. The Romanian president is on an official visit to the Republic of Moldova to mark the 35th anniversary of the country’s proclamation of independence. During the meeting, held in the Chapel of the Resurrection of…
The Vasile Pârvan Cultural Association recently discovered a charter concerning Plumbuita Monastery in Bucharest in the archives of Xeropotamou Monastery on Mount Athos. Dated 21 October 1585, the document was issued by Wallachian Prince Mihnea II the Turned-Turk and records the dedication of the Bucharest monastery to the Athonite monastery. According to a post on…
The restored crosses of the Romanian Church of St Anthony in Vienna were returned to its bell towers on Monday, following a restoration that returned them to their original 1904 appearance. According to an announcement on the parish’s official Facebook page, the crosses were installed at a height of 32 metres atop the church’s two…
The “Ștefan Nosievici” Priests’ Choir of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți won the Gold Medal in the Sacred Choral Music category on Monday at a choral competition in Portorož, Slovenia. The result crowns the ensemble’s work and marks another appearance on the international music scene. Father Ionel-Doru Budeanu, Dean of Suceava and choir coordinator,…
The Romanian Orthodox parish in Düsseldorf, Germany, began pouring the foundations for its future church on Monday, following the blessing of the foundation stone by Metropolitan Serafim of Germany, Central and Northern Europe in May. Construction work is under way at Werstener Feld 63 and was prepared by architect Bogdan Bărbulescu in cooperation with the…
The Belt of the Mother of God from Kato Xenia Monastery in Greece will be brought on pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Moinești, Bacău County, from 4 to 7 September. The reliquary containing the sacred relic will be welcomed on Friday, 4 September, at 4:30 p.m. The programme…
His Eminence Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia attended a solemn session on Wednesday marking 35 years since the proclamation of the Republic of Moldova’s independence. The event was held at the Presidential Palace in Chișinău. The anniversary gathering was attended by President Maia Sandu of the Republic of Moldova, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, members of the…
The International Meeting of Orthodox Youth (ITO), the largest youth event organised by the Romanian Orthodox Church, will take place in Bucharest from 31 August to 3 September 2026 under the theme “Young People, the Family and Life in Christ”. With the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, this year’s gathering will bring together approximately…
“I pray that God may grant you the gift of keeping your hearts pure for as long as possible throughout your lives,” Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina told around 1,000 participants in the Meeting of Orthodox Youth from Moldavia on Tuesday. His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan addressed the young people following the Divine Liturgy celebrated…
The Romanian church of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark in Almendralejo, Spain, was consecrated on Sunday by His Grace Bishop Timotei of Spain and Portugal and his Assistant Bishop Teofil of Iberia. Following the consecration service, the two hierarchs celebrated the Divine Liturgy, attended by representatives of the local and provincial authorities. They included…
Saints Adrian and Natalia are the spiritual patrons of 497,965 Romanians, according to data provided by Romania’s General Directorate for Personal Records. Of the total number of people bearing names associated with the two saints, 312,580 are men, and 185,385 are women. Among men, Adrian is by far the most common name, borne by 306,210…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel blessed pupils, parents and teachers at the start of the 2026–2027 school year and encouraged families, churches, and schools to cultivate faith and Christian values. The Patriarch of Romania highlighted Religious Education’s contribution to pupils’ personal, moral, and spiritual formation, stressing that education should develop not only knowledge but also skills,…
Photographers from around the world are being invited to capture Orthodox Christianity through the international competition “Colours of Orthodoxy. Czechia and Slovakia”. The competition runs from 15 August to 30 November and is free to enter for both professional and amateur photographers. Each participant may submit up to six photographs per category across the four…
A personal lead seal belonging to Byzantine Empress Irene Komnene Doukaina Laskarina has recently been discovered at Perperikon in southern Bulgaria. Dating from the 13th century, the artefact depicts the empress on one side and Christ the Saviour on the other in the rare iconographic representation known as Lytrotes — “the Redeemer”. Prof Nikolay Ovcharov,…
On Sunday, the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate offered prayers for peace in anticipation of Ukraine’s Independence Day. The liturgical observance was conducted at the behest of Ihor Prokopchuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Romania. Priests and members of the communities prayed for an end to the war and for those suffering as a result…
The relics of Saint Anne from Koutloumousiou Monastery will be brought to Romania for the first time and placed for veneration at the New “Saint George” Church in Bucharest from 5 to 10 September. A delegation from Mount Athos, comprising five monks, will arrive at Henri Coandă International Airport in Otopeni at around 3:00 pm…
“At present, Christianity is the religion most exposed to intolerance and discrimination worldwide, with the phenomenon of Christianophobia being quite widespread globally,” Romania’s Ambassador to the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta said on the occasion of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief,…
A new Byzantine chant school for children, young people and adults will open in Iași in September as part of a project run by the Archdiocese of Iași. Registration for the first intake of students will take place from 1 to 23 September, and participation is free. The “Saint Macarius Protopsaltes” Metropolitan School of Byzantine…