{"id":565058,"date":"2026-04-03T12:25:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=565058"},"modified":"2026-04-03T12:25:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:25:51","slug":"putna-monastery-fantana-alba-massacre-memorial-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/putna-monastery-fantana-alba-massacre-memorial-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Putna monastery holds memorial service for victims of Soviet-era F\u00e2nt\u00e2na Alb\u0103 massacre: They died facing the homeland"},"content":{"rendered":"

The monastic community of Putna Monastery held a memorial service on Wednesday in remembrance of the thousands of Northern Bukovinians massacred by Soviet forces at F\u00e2nt\u00e2na Alb\u0103<\/a> as they attempted to cross peacefully into Romania, seeking refuge in their motherland following the occupation of Northern Bukovina.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA tragedy, a sorrow, a sacrifice about which, for decades during the communist period, nothing was written, nothing was spoken, nothing was known. But after the fall of communism, the survivors spoke. Their relatives spoke. They held memorial services for the departed. They called upon us, the Romanians in the country, for those who died did so facing towards us, towards their homeland,\u201d said Archimandrite Melchisedec Velnic, Abbot of the monastery.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The service was held at the white stone gateway with a fountain at the monastery\u2019s entrance, erected symbolically during the Centennial Year of the 1918 Great Union in memory of the massacre\u2019s victims. \u201cThe water flowing from the fountain is a symbol of life springing forth from their sacrifice,\u201d the abbot explained.<\/p>\n

Remembrance as spiritual communion<\/h2>\n

\u201cThey were separated from Romania, but now, through remembrance, we receive them into our souls. They were not allowed to reach Romania then, but they have reached it now through our hearts. By commemorating them, we offer them a place in the Romanian people’s earthly homeland. Yet, through this spiritual unity, they also offer us something: they receive us alongside them into the heavenly homeland,\u201d Archimandrite Melchisedec said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Following the memorial service, wreaths and floral tributes were laid, speeches were delivered, and a traditional vocal group performed.<\/p>\n

Among those present were Romania\u2019s Consul General in Chernivtsi, Irina Loredana St\u0103nculescu, members of the Romanian Senate, local officials, clergy, teachers and students.<\/p>\n

A lesson in love of country<\/h2>\n

Cristina Dumitrescu, head of the Romanian Senate\u2019s Committee for Romanians Abroad, described the victims\u2019 sacrifice as \u201ca lesson in love of country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did not wish to remain there without faith, without dignity, without honour, but turned their faces towards their motherland. They wished to be here, among their brethren,\u201d she said, adding that Romanian communities in neighbouring countries continue to look towards Romania with hope.<\/p>\n

She also noted the enduring role of the Orthodox Church in preserving the memory of national heroes. \u201cLeaders come and go, but the Church is the one that will remember, year after year, all that the heroes of our nation have meant, those who sacrificed themselves for our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniela Ceredeev, a regional inspector for Religious Education, spoke about the symbolism of the White Gateway memorial, describing it as a place that \u201ccalls souls back again and again, gathers us in prayer, and renews our pledge never to forget those who bore witness to their faith through their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA prison without walls\u201d<\/h2>\n

Marin Gherman, a university lecturer originally from Northern Bukovina, shared a personal testimony.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandmother told me that, one June night, she became, without being asked, a Soviet citizen,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me, F\u00e2nt\u00e2na Alb\u0103 is about an attempt to escape from a prison without walls, or from a prison that becomes an inner captivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is up to us to ensure they are not forgotten. We must speak more about this, as other nations do, for example, regarding Katyn<\/a>. We must write about it, pray for them, gather here and elsewhere, and tell the whole world that F\u00e2nt\u00e2na Alb\u0103 was a crime against humanity in the heart of Europe \u2014 one that must never be repeated,\u201d he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cPutna is home\u201d<\/h2>\n

In her address, Consul General St\u0103nculescu stressed the moral duty of remembrance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an obligation and a moral duty to remember, year after year, this day when these people wished to live freely in their motherland and attempted to cross the border,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cListening to Mr Marin Gherman, a son of the Romanian community in the Chernivtsi region, and seeing here Mrs Aurica Bojescu, who fights daily for the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine, I come with an open heart and say that at Putna one is always at home,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

At the conclusion of the event, Archimandrite Melchisedec Velnic presented the Consul General with volumes from the \u201cBukovinian Destiny\u201d collection, dedicated to preserving the region’s cultural and historical legacy.<\/p>\n