His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Thursday blessed the footbridge that facilitates the access of tourists and believers to Snagov Monastery, the oldest monastic settlement in the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
The footbridge was initially inaugurated by the Patriarch on 20 Nov. 2010.
The blessing service of September 26, 2019 was officiated in the context of the completion of additional maintenance and extension works.
In his speech, Patriarch Daniel presented the value of Snagov Monastery, calling it “a place of prayer and high spiritual culture.”
His Beatitude recalled that Saint Anthimos the Iberian was the abbot of the monastery and printed there several books in Greek, Romanian, Slavonic and Arabic.
Thanks to Saint Anthimos the Iberian, the Arabic and Greek Book of the Divine Liturgy was printed at Snagov Monastery in 1701, making it the first Arabic liturgical book ever printed in the Orthodox world.
The Patriarch called the monastic settlement “an oasis of Romanian culture” that must be protected and promoted.
“It is visited for the beauty of the church, but also for the beauty of nature. Around Lake Snagov there are a lot of natural elements of great value and this place itself is a place of peace, of quietude, a place for meditation and prayer,” said Patriarch Daniel.
On this occasion, Patriarch Daniel presented the abbot of the monastery with several books printed by the Romanian Patriarchate’s publishing houses and distributed prayer cards depicting the image of Saint Neagoe Basarab, one of the monastery’s patron saints.
Earlier the same day, His Grace Bishop Timotei of Prahova celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the honour of Saint Neagoe Basarab, Ruler Prince of Wallachia between 1512-1521.
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
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