{"id":583068,"date":"2026-08-04T14:36:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=583068"},"modified":"2026-08-04T14:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:36:34","slug":"patriarch-daniel-blesses-reliquary-varatec-saints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/patriarch-daniel-blesses-reliquary-varatec-saints\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriarch Daniel blesses reliquary for newly canonised nuns of V\u0103ratec Monastery"},"content":{"rendered":"

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church blessed on Monday the reliquary that will house the relics of the newly canonised Venerable Mothers Nazaria, Olympias, and Elizabeth (Safta) Br\u00e2ncoveanu of V\u0103ratec Monastery. The service took place at the historic St. George Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The silver reliquary was crafted by the Pas\u0103rea Monastery’s chasing workshop, part of the Romanian Patriarchate’s workshops, and is adorned with icons of the three saints and scenes from their lives.<\/p>\n

Among those attending the blessing were Archimandrite Dionisie Constantin, Patriarchal Coordinating Counsellor and Director of the Workshops of the Biblical and Orthodox Mission Institute of the Romanian Patriarchate, Stavrophore Abbess Iosefina Giosanu of V\u0103ratec Monastery, accompanied by members of the sisterhood, as well as other clergy.<\/p>\n

Patriarch Daniel spoke about the lives of the three saints, emphasising the monastery’s hesychast character.<\/p>\n

“These nuns were all hesychasts, especially Nazaria and Olympias, who had great hesychast spiritual fathers: St. Paisius of Neam\u021b and St. Joseph of V\u0103ratec. St. Nazaria was also guided by St. Basil of Poiana M\u0103rului, who was originally from Ukraine but lived in the Vrancea region,” His Beatitude said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sts. Nazaria and Olympias<\/h2>\n

The Patriarch noted that the saints of V\u0103ratec were guided by hesychast spiritual fathers who encouraged them to live lives of unceasing prayer.<\/p>\n

“St. Nazaria came from the Bra\u0219ov region. She was born in the first half of the eighteenth century and entered monastic life in the Vrancea area under the guidance of St. Basil of Poiana M\u0103rului, another great hesychast. She later came to Moldavia, where she continued under outstanding spiritual fathers who encouraged the sisters to persevere in unceasing prayer.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

St. Nazaria is remembered as the founder of the V\u0103ratec Hermitage. She reposed in the Lord in 1814.<\/p>\n

Patriarch Daniel also highlighted the administrative gifts of St. Olympiada, who, from a young age, organised V\u0103ratec Monastery.<\/p>\n

“Venerable Olympias of V\u0103ratec was born in Ia\u0219i in 1758 into the family of Fr. Mihail of St. Nicholas Princely Church. She organised V\u0103ratec Monastery between 1771 and 1778 and served as its abbess from 1822 to 1828 and again from 1834 to 1842, when she reposed in the Lord.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

St. Elizabeth (Safta) Br\u00e2ncoveanu<\/h2>\n

Speaking about Saint Elizabeth (Safta) Br\u00e2ncoveanu, the Patriarch emphasised her remarkable philanthropic ministry.<\/p>\n

After the death of her husband, Grand Ban Grigore Br\u00e2ncoveanu, “she organised the Br\u00e2ncoveanu charitable institutions near Lady B\u0103la\u0219a Church in Bucharest, including a school, a home for widows, and especially Br\u00e2ncovenesc Hospital, which became renowned for its excellent physicians.”<\/p>\n

“In 1840, Safta Br\u00e2ncoveanu became a nun at V\u0103ratec Monastery, where she lived for seventeen years until her repose in 1857. She was deeply pious. When old age prevented her from attending church, she would read the entire daily prayer rule in her cell. She was also exceptionally generous.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Concluding his address, Patriarch Daniel stressed the importance of recognising the spiritual heritage embodied by these women saints.<\/p>\n

“It is very important for us to realise that through these holy nuns\u2014such as Mavra of Ceahl\u0103u, already known through her local proclamation, together with other holy nuns and saintly monks\u2014we are a hesychast people, a people with a hesychast vocation.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the end of the service, the Patriarch presented the sisters of V\u0103ratec Monastery with the six-volume Menaion of the Romanian Saints, the book The Good Shepherd, and several other publications.<\/p>\n

The local proclamation of the canonisation of the Venerable Mothers Nazaria, Olympias, and Elizabeth (Safta) Br\u00e2ncoveanu of V\u0103ratec will take place on Aug. 16.<\/p>\n

The three nuns were canonised<\/a> by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2025, together with several other Romanian women saints. Their general proclamation of canonisation<\/a> took place in February at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.<\/p>\n