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 icon of St Maria Brâncoveanu, painted by iconographer Marieta Rotariu.
“It is a special day for the parishioners, first of all as Romanians, through the veneration of the Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs, and then as members of the parish, because the community’s second patron saint is St Maria Brâncoveanu,” the parish priest told Basilica.ro.
Until last year, the community held memorial services for Princess Maria Brâncoveanu, and ten years ago it established the St Maria Brâncoveanu Association of Romanian Orthodox Women.
The parish has also supported cultural projects dedicated to her, including the ‘Princess Maria Brâncoveanu’ tulip, the first Dutch tulip to bear a Romanian name.
Saint’s portrait featured on postage stamp
Elena De Chiara, Vice-President of the parish’s Romanian Orthodox Women’s Association, presented details concerning the philatelic issue launched by Romfilatelia and the Romanian Post to mark the local proclamation of the canonisation of St Maria Brâncoveanu.
One of the postage stamps features a portrait of the saint created by iconographer Marieta Rotariu, a member of the association. The first-day cover also features the ‘Princess Maria Brâncoveanu’ tulips, a project initiated by the Romanian diaspora in the Netherlands.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the community honoured the Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs with a performance of the Ballad of the Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs by Dana Alexe. The celebration concluded with a reception prepared by members of the St Maria Brâncoveanu Association.
The Parish of St Gregory the Theologian and St Maria Brâncoveanu in Schiedam/Rotterdam was founded in January 1981 by Fr Ioan Dură.
In 2023, the parish church won third prize in a competition for the most beautiful places of worship in the province of South Holland, where judges evaluated both its architecture and interior.
Photo: St Gregory the Theologian and St Maria Brâncoveanu parish
