{"id":573334,"date":"2026-05-26T12:40:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=573334"},"modified":"2026-05-26T12:40:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:40:27","slug":"first-church-bessarabia-saint-blandina-iasi-cimislia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/first-church-bessarabia-saint-blandina-iasi-cimislia\/","title":{"rendered":"First church in Bessarabia dedicated to Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i consecrated in Cimi\u0219lia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The first church in Bessarabia dedicated to Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i was consecrated on Sunday in Cimi\u0219lia, the Republic of Moldova. The church is also placed under the protection of Saint Nicholas and Saint Eudokia.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The consecration service and Divine Liturgy were celebrated by Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia together with Archbishop Casian of the Lower Danube and Bishops Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia, Visarion of Tulcea and Ieronim of Dacia Felix.<\/p>\n<p>Metropolitan Petru highlighted the importance of the newly canonised saints for the life of the Church.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe rejoice in this canonisation because they are our national saints, born on this land,\u201d the Metropolitan of Bessarabia told Trinitas TV.<\/p>\n<p>He added that these canonisations offer believers the opportunity to discover examples of lives lived in faith and patience amid suffering and persecution.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_573171\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-573171\" style=\"width: 890px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706457220_1284368380542135_2970745135154486366_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-573171 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706457220_1284368380542135_2970745135154486366_n-890x668.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"890\" height=\"668\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-573171\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The wooden church in Cimi\u0219lia, the first in Bessarabia dedicated to the Holy Confessor Blandina of Ia\u0219i, was consecrated on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Photo credit: Facebook \/ Diocese of Southern Bessarabia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Unity of the Church<\/h2>\n<p>In his homily, Bishop Visarion interpreted the Gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday after Pascha and spoke about Christ\u2019s prayer for the unity of the Church.<\/p>\n<p>The hierarch recalled that Christ \u201cprays to the Heavenly Father to preserve His disciples in unity\u201d, stressing that this prayer also embraces the faithful of all generations.<\/p>\n<p>Referring to Saint Paul&#8217;s words that there is \u201cone Lord, one faith and one baptism\u201d, the Bishop of Tulcea explained that this unity finds its foundation in faith, through which the Church remains, according to the Creed, \u201cOne, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>A home in her native land<\/h2>\n<p>Archbishop Casian underlined the special significance of the occasion, explaining that the new church marks a spiritual landmark in the life and witness of the newly canonised saint. \u201cThis church is, in memory of Saint Blandina the Confessor, her first permanent home in her native lands.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_573167\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-573167\" style=\"width: 890px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-573167 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n-890x501.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"890\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n-890x501.jpg 890w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n-360x203.jpg 360w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/705717850_1284364090542564_1727118648031455947_n.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 354px, 890px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-573167\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Five hierarchs officiated the consecration service of the place of worship dedicated to the Holy Confessor Blandina from Ia\u0219i. Photo credit: Facebook \/ Diocese of Southern Bessarabia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHis Grace Bishop Veniamin prepared this warm spiritual home for her during the year dedicated to holy women and the Christian family,\u201d the Archbishop added.<\/p>\n<p>Archbishop Casian also noted that the construction of the church comes at a meaningful moment for the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia, eight years after Bishop Veniamin received episcopal ordination from Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n<h2>A unique event<\/h2>\n<p>Bishop Veniamin highlighted the development of the local community and the efforts made to build the new wooden church.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe greatly rejoice that, with God\u2019s help, over the past five years we have succeeded in building here a wooden church for the Orthodox community.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_573173\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-573173\" style=\"width: 890px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-573173 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n-890x668.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"890\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n-890x668.jpg 890w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/706594684_1284366527208987_6996045810152390586_n.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 354px, 890px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-573173\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Clergy and believers from both banks of the Prut River participated on Sunday, May 24, in the service of consecration of the place of worship in the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia. Photo credit: Facebook \/ Diocese of Southern Bessarabia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the end of the event, distinctions were awarded to those who supported the construction of the church, while Fr Petru Goreanu, the community&#8217;s parish priest, was promoted to the rank of stavrophore economos.<\/p>\n<p>The event in the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia also marked the first feast celebration following the canonisation of Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i, a daughter of Bessarabia.<\/p>\n<p>Saint Blandina was <a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/holy-synod-approves-canonization-of-16-saintly-women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">canonised<\/a> during the 1 July 2025 session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, together with 15 other Romanian women of holy life. The <a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/romanian-orthodox-church-proclaims-16-holy-women-bucharest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general proclamation of their canonisation<\/a> took place at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest on 6 February 2026, while the local proclamations in honour of Saint Blandina were held in May in <a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/saint-blandina-iasi-local-canonization-proclamation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ia\u0219i<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/metropolis-bessarabia-local-canonisation-saint-blandina-iasi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chi\u0219in\u0103u<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Photo: Facebook \/ Diocese of Southern Bessarabia<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BasilicaNews\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-495171\" src=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/banner-x-en-889x148.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"889\" height=\"148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/banner-x-en-889x148.gif 889w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/banner-x-en-1024x171.gif 1024w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/banner-x-en-1536x256.gif 1536w, https:\/\/basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/banner-x-en-2048x341.gif 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 354px, 890px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first church in Bessarabia dedicated to Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i was consecrated on Sunday in Cimi\u0219lia, the Republic of Moldova. The church is also placed under the protection of Saint Nicholas and Saint Eudokia. The consecration service and Divine Liturgy were celebrated by Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia together with Archbishop Casian of the Lower&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":573178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[15611,12795,33545,24509,37345,32787,9780,33488,2199,37043],"class_list":["post-573334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dioceses","tag-bishop-veniamin","tag-church-consecration","tag-commemorative-year-2026","tag-diocese-of-southern-bessarabia","tag-holy-romanian-women","tag-holy-women","tag-metropolis-of-bessarabia","tag-metropolitan-petru-of-bessarabia","tag-republic-of-moldova","tag-saint-blandina-of-iasi"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>First Church Dedicated to Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i in Republic of Moldova - Basilica.ro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first church in Bessarabia dedicated to Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i was consecrated in Cimi\u0219lia by hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church.\" \/>\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\/first-church-bessarabia-saint-blandina-iasi-cimislia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First church in Bessarabia dedicated to Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i consecrated in Cimi\u0219lia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first church in Bessarabia dedicated to Saint Blandina of Ia\u0219i was consecrated on Sunday in Cimi\u0219lia, the Republic of Moldova. 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