Who are the Holy Guardians of the Romanian People’s Salvation Cathedral?

Like the watchmen who stand guard at the gates of a city, over 50 Saints supervise with their intercessions the Romanian People’s Salvation Cathedral.

The saints are depicted on the bronze doors providing access to the new Orthodox Cathedral in Bucharest.

Welcoming believers on the front doors are the icons of the Saviour Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother.

On the right and left of the main entrance, the doors have the depictions of the 12 Holy Apostles.

Next to the Mother of God, one can observe the icon of Saint Andrew the First-Called since he is the Patron Saint of Romania and also of the National Cathedral.

The assembly of Saints depicted on the cathedral’s doors also includes over 20 saintly persons from Romania and 7 Dacian Saints.

In a speech delivered in 2017, Patriarch Daniel said that as a gift for the devotion of the Romanian people the National Cathedral belongs to ‘the Romanian Saints of all times and places throughout this country.’

Please find below the list of the Cathedral’s Guardian Saints.

Altar

Left	Right
Ruler Prince Saint Stephen the Great and Venerable Daniel the Hermit	Venerable Theoctistos and Saint Peter Mogila

Nave

Left	Right
Sts Theotimus and Ephraim of Tomis	The Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs
Martyr John the Wallachian and Saint John the New of Suceava	Martyrs Montanus and Maxima
Saints Parthenios and Raphael of Agapia	Saint Paisios of Neamţ and Saint Nicodemus of Tismana
Martyr Sophrony of Cioara and Saint Bessarion Sarai	Venerable Germanos of Dobrudja and Saint John Cassian

Narthex

Left	Right
Saint Theodora of Sihla and Saint Parascheva of Iaşi	Saint John Jacob of Neamţ and Saint George
Saint Callinicus of Cernica and Saint Joseph the New of Partoş	Saint Photius the Great and Saint Nephon of Constantinople
Saint Anthimos the Iberian and Saint Gregory the Teacher	Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory the Theologian
Saint Simeon Stephan and Saint Andrew Şaguna	Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
Saint Barlaam of Moldavia and Saint Dositheus of Moldavia	Saint Hyacinth of Vicina and Saint Bretanion of Tomis

Next to the main doors

Left	Right
Apostles Andrew and John	Apostles Peter and Paul
Apostles Simeon and James	Apostles Phillip and Matthew
Apostles Judas Thaddeus and James of Alpheus	Apostles Thomas and Bartholomew

Main access doors

Left	Right
Mother of God	Lord Jesus Christ

The largest mosaic depicting the More Spacious than the Heavens Icon of the Mother of God was applied last month on the half-dome that stands above the altar of the National Cathedral in Bucharest.