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…
The Battle of Lipnic was commemorated on Thursday in northern Republic of Moldova. Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia celebrated the Divine Liturgy and a memorial service for the soldiers of Saint Stephen the Great who fell in the battle against the Tatars. The commemorations started at the church in Lipnic village, with attendance including local community members,…
Victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief are commemorated each year on 22 August internationally through a day established by the United Nations. The observance provides an opportunity to express solidarity with people affected by religious persecution and discrimination and to reaffirm the need to protect every person’s right to manifest their…
His Grace Bishop Ieronim of Dacia Felix concelebrated on Wednesday with Serbian Metropolitan Lukijan of Buda and Administrator of Timișoara at the patronal feast of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Szentendre, Hungary. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the occasion of the feast observed by the Serbian Orthodox Church according to…
Approximately 25,000 pilgrims attended the Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on Saturday, 15 August, at Nicula Monastery in Cluj County. According to law enforcement estimates, more than 70,000 people visited the monastery in the days leading up to its patronal feast. Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj, Maramureș and…
Young Germans are discovering the beauty of Orthodoxy through volunteer activities at Piatra Fântânele Monastery in Bistrița-Năsăud County, where they are taking part in a work camp. The programme runs from 15 to 29 August and brings together 20 participants from the Evangelical Youth Association in Württemberg (EJW), the Cluj branch of the Association of…
Patriarch Daniel of Romania has presented Saints Nazaria, Olympias and Elizabeth of Văratec as three distinct examples of holiness united by unceasing prayer, humble charity and diligent service to others. He delivered his message on the occasion of the local proclamation of their canonisation at Văratec Monastery. Saints Nazaria, Olympias and Elizabeth of Văratec –…
Saint John of Rila was commemorated on Wednesday at Rila Monastery in Bulgaria, marking 1,080 years since his repose in the Lord. On this occasion, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniil of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church highlighted the saint’s spiritual legacy, describing him as “a source of hope, spiritual help, an example and a guide for our…
The Romanian community’s new church in Boian, Alberta, Canada, was consecrated on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, three years after a fire destroyed the old place of worship. His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada described the occasion as “a new rebirth for the Boian community”, as well as a…
Ten hierarchs and numerous abbots from the Moldavia region, joined by clergy from across Romania and the diaspora, celebrated the Divine Liturgy last Sunday at Văratec Monastery in Neamț County, where the local proclamation of the canonisation of Saints Nazaria, Olympias and Elizabeth of Văratec took place after the liturgy. The assembly of hierarchs comprised…
His Eminence Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia honoured members of the Orthodox Women’s Society of the Diocese of Bălți for their involvement in the life of the Church. A ceremony took place on Monday during a meeting held at the Anastasis Educational Centre in Bălți. The event highlighted the organisation’s work over almost eight years in…
The Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas is preparing assistance for families affected by the earthquake that struck Colombia on 10 August 2026, Metropolitan Nicolae announced. Representatives of the Metropolis have begun efforts to identify the concrete needs of the communities affected by the earthquake in Colombia. Through Fr Daniel Adrian Ene, diocesan vicar and…
Around age 70, in the quiet of her home in Mahala, Chernivtsi region, a Bukovinian peasant woman who had completed only three years of primary school began writing her memoirs under the title Memories from My Life. The manuscript, written neatly and without corrections – almost as though it had been dictated – was entrusted…
The Romanian Government, through the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova, is funding 11 projects to equip and develop churches and monasteries within the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia. The projects will be implemented between July and November 2026 and will include church painting, the production and acquisition of liturgical furnishings, the development of monastic…
The Parish of St Gregory the Theologian and St Maria Brâncoveanu in Schiedam/Rotterdam, the oldest Romanian Orthodox parish in the Netherlands, celebrated on Sunday its first summer patronal feast dedicated to St Maria Brâncoveanu. Fr Ioan Dură, the dean and parish priest, celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Following the service, a procession took place with the…
Romanian Migrants Sunday was celebrated at the Dormition of the Mother of God Parish in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Orthodox faithful of different backgrounds prayed together at the Divine Liturgy. During the service, the message of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel was read. Romanians, Serbs, Russians, Bulgarians, English people and faithful from other communities prayed together…