{"id":560628,"date":"2026-02-26T11:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T09:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=560628"},"modified":"2026-02-26T11:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T09:04:13","slug":"romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/","title":{"rendered":"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The Very Rev. Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places and superior of the Romanian establishments in Jerusalem, Jericho and at the Jordan River, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/story.php?story_fbid=1387623360067389&amp;id=100064592145927&amp;mibextid=wwXIfr&amp;rdid=IYMObLP31dBhVlaS#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> that the first official meeting with Israeli authorities regarding the restoration of the Romanian Hermitage on the Jordan River\u2014closed since 1967\u2014took place on the first day of Great Lent.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The announcement was made on social media, where Archimandrite Ioan described the meeting as \u201ca moment of great joy,\u201d noting that for the first time essential elements concerning the renovation and reopening of the holy site were discussed.<\/p>\n<p>Representing the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) were Menachem Fried, District Director for Judea and Samaria and Nature Protection Officer, and Orit Bortnik, Director of the Archaeology and Heritage Department. They were joined by engineer Yehonatan Oz, Ilan Cohen, Heritage Director of the Judea and Samaria District, and Gabriel Sacuiu, Chief Secretary of the Romanian Patriarchate\u2019s Representation in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe pray to Saints John the Baptist and <a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/tag\/saint-john-jacob-the-new-chozebite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Jacob the Romanian<\/a> to bless and strengthen the work begun on this day,\u201d Archimandrite Ioan wrote. Saint John Jacob of Neam\u021b served as abbot of the Romanian Hermitage at the Jordan between 1947 and 1952.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_560316\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-560316\" style=\"width: 656px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-560316 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-4-656x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-4-656x1024.jpg 656w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-4-570x890.jpg 570w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-4-231x360.jpg 231w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-4-768x1199.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-4.jpg 922w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 354px, 890px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-560316\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">St. John Jacob of Neam\u021b was the abbot of the Romanian Settlement in the Jordan Desert for 5 years. Photo: Facebook \/ Biserica Ortodox\u0103 Rom\u00e2n\u0103 Ierusalim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The Romanian Hermitage at the Jordan<\/h2>\n<p>In 1933, the Romanian Orthodox Church purchased a 10,000-square-metre plot on the right bank of the Jordan River from the then Palestinian authorities. Similar plots were offered at the time to other religious communities.<\/p>\n<p>Hieromonk Gherasim Luca built a small monastic cell and a well, preparing the land in a minimal way. The foundation stone of the church was consecrated on 25 April 1935. Construction followed plans by Patriarchate architect Dumitru Ionescu-Berechet. The iconostasis was carved by Anghel Dima, and the icons were painted by Dimitrie Belizarie. The church murals were completed by Gheorghe V\u00e2n\u0103toru in 1968.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_560318\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-560318\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-560318 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-2-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-2-668x890.jpg 668w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-2-270x360.jpg 270w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 354px, 890px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-560318\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Romanian Settlement Church at the Jordan River was severely damaged following the war that broke out in the area in 1967. Representatives of the Israeli authorities recently assessed the situation on site, together with the representative of the Romanian Patriarchate. Photo: Facebook \/ Biserica Ortodox\u0103 Rom\u00e2n\u0103 Ierusalim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In June 1967, armed conflict broke out between Israel and an alliance of Arab states\u2014Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Following the war, the Romanian church at the Jordan came under Israeli control, situated approximately 500 metres from the Jordanian border.<\/p>\n<p>In 1970, Protosyncellus Damian Stogu, a monk of the hermitage, died after being caught in an exchange of fire in the area. The zone was subsequently closed and mined.<\/p>\n<p>In 1995, church leaders holding property rights in the Jordan Valley requested that the State of Israel demine the area, allow restoration of religious sites and grant access to clergy and pilgrims.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncronline.org\/news\/world\/effort-removes-thousands-mines-site-jesus-baptism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Demining operations<\/a> in the vicinity of the Romanian hermitage were completed only in 2020.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_560320\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-560320\" style=\"width: 890px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-560320 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-3-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"890\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-3-890x668.jpg 890w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-3-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-3.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 354px, 890px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-560320\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Romanian Church was built according to the plans of architect Dumitru Ionescu Berechet. Photo: Facebook \/ Biserica Ortodox\u0103 Rom\u00e2n\u0103 Ierusalim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The recent meeting marks the first formal step towards reopening the historic Romanian monastic settlement on the banks of the Jordan River after nearly six decades of closure.<\/p>\n<p>Photo: Facebook \/ Biserica Ortodox\u0103 Rom\u00e2n\u0103 Ierusalim<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/basilicanews\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-556506\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Basilica-Telegram-channel-banner-890x149.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"890\" height=\"149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Basilica-Telegram-channel-banner-890x149.jpeg 890w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Basilica-Telegram-channel-banner-360x60.jpeg 360w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Basilica-Telegram-channel-banner-768x128.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Basilica-Telegram-channel-banner.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 354px, 890px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Very Rev. Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places and superior of the Romanian establishments in Jerusalem, Jericho and at the Jordan River, announced that the first official meeting with Israeli authorities regarding the restoration of the Romanian Hermitage on the Jordan River\u2014closed since 1967\u2014took place on the first&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":560324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[36603,36905,14504,19562,35044,35541,23870],"class_list":["post-560628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-archimandrite-ioan-meiu","tag-israeli-authorities","tag-jerusalem-patriarchate","tag-romanian-hermitage","tag-romanian-orthodox-church-jerusalem","tag-romanian-patriarchate-representative","tag-saint-john-jacob-the-new-chozebite"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Romanian Hermitage Jordan River Reopening Announcement - Basilica.ro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to restore and reopen the Romanian Hermitage at the Jordan River, closed since 1967.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Very Rev. Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places and superior of the Romanian establishments in\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Basilica.ro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/basilica.ro\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-26T09:04:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1404\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"790\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aurelian Iftimiu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AurelianNicolae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AgentiaBasilica\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Aurelian Iftimiu\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3b10696f83f62d60741521aedbcbb8d1\"},\"headline\":\"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-26T09:04:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":575,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Archimandrite Ioan Meiu\",\"Israeli authorities\",\"Jerusalem Patriarchate\",\"Romanian Hermitage\",\"Romanian Orthodox Church Jerusalem\",\"Romanian Patriarchate Representative\",\"Saint John Jacob the New Chozebite\"],\"articleSection\":[\"International\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/\",\"name\":\"Romanian Hermitage Jordan River Reopening Announcement - Basilica.ro\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-26T09:04:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to restore and reopen the Romanian Hermitage at the Jordan River, closed since 1967.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg\",\"width\":1404,\"height\":790},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"International\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/category\\\/international\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Basilica.ro\",\"description\":\"Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Agen\u021bia de \u0219tiri Basilica\",\"alternateName\":\"Basilica.ro\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/logo-basilica.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/logo-basilica.jpg\",\"width\":1680,\"height\":945,\"caption\":\"Agen\u021bia de \u0219tiri Basilica\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/basilica.ro\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/AgentiaBasilica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/basilica.ro\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/ro.pinterest.com\\\/basilicaro\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCh6MZX0N9faHq70F4kBDBeA\",\"https:\\\/\\\/ro.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Agen\u021bia_de_\u0219tiri_BASILICA\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/basilica.en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/basilicanews\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/basilicaphotos\"],\"description\":\"Agen\u021bia de \u0219tiri Basilica este canalul oficial de informare al Bisericii Ortodoxe Rom\u00e2ne (Patriarhia Rom\u00e2n\u0103)\",\"email\":\"info@basilica.ro\",\"foundingDate\":\"2008-10-27\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3b10696f83f62d60741521aedbcbb8d1\",\"name\":\"Aurelian Iftimiu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/48062afd75c6825bfa6e875a1a09ccf5a3a2b0b3eb31a03a35a0ec045884f8a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/48062afd75c6825bfa6e875a1a09ccf5a3a2b0b3eb31a03a35a0ec045884f8a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/48062afd75c6825bfa6e875a1a09ccf5a3a2b0b3eb31a03a35a0ec045884f8a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Aurelian Iftimiu\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/AurelianNicolae\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/basilica.ro\\\/en\\\/author\\\/aurelian\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Romanian Hermitage Jordan River Reopening Announcement - Basilica.ro","description":"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to restore and reopen the Romanian Hermitage at the Jordan River, closed since 1967.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967","og_description":"The Very Rev. Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places and superior of the Romanian establishments in","og_url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/","og_site_name":"Basilica.ro","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/basilica.ro\/","article_published_time":"2026-02-26T09:04:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1404,"height":790,"url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Aurelian Iftimiu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AurelianNicolae","twitter_site":"@AgentiaBasilica","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/"},"author":{"name":"Aurelian Iftimiu","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/3b10696f83f62d60741521aedbcbb8d1"},"headline":"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967","datePublished":"2026-02-26T09:04:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/"},"wordCount":575,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg","keywords":["Archimandrite Ioan Meiu","Israeli authorities","Jerusalem Patriarchate","Romanian Hermitage","Romanian Orthodox Church Jerusalem","Romanian Patriarchate Representative","Saint John Jacob the New Chozebite"],"articleSection":["International"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/","url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/","name":"Romanian Hermitage Jordan River Reopening Announcement - Basilica.ro","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-26T09:04:13+00:00","description":"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to restore and reopen the Romanian Hermitage at the Jordan River, closed since 1967.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/schitul-romanesc-iordan-01.jpg","width":1404,"height":790},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-hermitage-jordan-river-reopening\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"","item":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"International","item":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/category\/international\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/","name":"Basilica.ro","description":"Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#organization","name":"Agen\u021bia de \u0219tiri Basilica","alternateName":"Basilica.ro","url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/logo-basilica.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/logo-basilica.jpg","width":1680,"height":945,"caption":"Agen\u021bia de \u0219tiri Basilica"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/basilica.ro\/","https:\/\/x.com\/AgentiaBasilica","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/basilica.ro\/","https:\/\/ro.pinterest.com\/basilicaro\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCh6MZX0N9faHq70F4kBDBeA","https:\/\/ro.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Agen\u021bia_de_\u0219tiri_BASILICA","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/basilica.en","https:\/\/x.com\/basilicanews","https:\/\/x.com\/basilicaphotos"],"description":"Agen\u021bia de \u0219tiri Basilica este canalul oficial de informare al Bisericii Ortodoxe Rom\u00e2ne (Patriarhia Rom\u00e2n\u0103)","email":"info@basilica.ro","foundingDate":"2008-10-27","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/3b10696f83f62d60741521aedbcbb8d1","name":"Aurelian Iftimiu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/48062afd75c6825bfa6e875a1a09ccf5a3a2b0b3eb31a03a35a0ec045884f8a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/48062afd75c6825bfa6e875a1a09ccf5a3a2b0b3eb31a03a35a0ec045884f8a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/48062afd75c6825bfa6e875a1a09ccf5a3a2b0b3eb31a03a35a0ec045884f8a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Aurelian Iftimiu"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/AurelianNicolae"],"url":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/author\/aurelian\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}