The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has issued a pastoral letter on the first Sunday of the Nativity Fast recalling that the Romanian people bears the ‘seal of the mystery of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection.’ ‘The luminous fruit-bearing of Christ’s Gospel in the history and culture of the Romanian people is observed in the gift of national unity, freedom and dignity, gained through strong faith and sacrificial struggle over many ages of Christian suffering,’ the hierarchs point o...

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held its working session on July 4-5, 2017, at the Synodal Hall of the patriarchal residence. His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, chaired the meetings. The following decisions were taken by the members of the Holy Synod: The Synod approved the establishment of a Sacred Art Department at the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology of the Lower Danube University in Galati, starting with the academic year 2017-2018. Weiterlesen auf basi...

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held this year's first working session on Thursday, February 15, at the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. During the meeting, the members of the Holy Synod proceeded to the election of an assistant bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy and an assistant bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal. The Holy Synod elected by secret vote the Very Reverend ...

A bit bruised but still standing, old Orthodox churches can be found around Bucharest, having escaped the frenzied demolition of the Romanian capital in the 1980s ordered by ex-communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. At least 10 jewels of Romania’s religious heritage from the 16th to 19th centuries survived due to an engineering tour de force: they were moved and hidden away. Engineer Eugeniu Iordachescu was head of an institute at the time that was confronted with the architectural whims of Ce...

Against the dramatic background of the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the humanitarian catastrophe it has caused, the Romanian Orthodox Church has been mobilized since the early days of this conflict unleashed by Russia against an independent and sovereign country, providing considerable aid to Ukrainian refugees who arrived on the territory of Romania, in the Republic of Moldova, as well as citizens remaining in Ukraine. Thus, the dioceses on Romania’s border with Ukraine, the Metropolis of ...

A group of tech-savvy Romanians are currently testing Sotiras, a new social platform that could be an Orthodox alternative to Facebook. Their initiative has the blessing of the Romanian monks from the Annunciation Kellia of the Romanian Lakkoskete on Mount Athos. The new social networking website ‘aims at promoting beauty, normality, and Christian values’, reads a statement of the founders published by Marturie Athonita. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (22. August 2019)

Am 1. April jährte sich zum 80. Mal das Massaker von Fântâna Albă, bei dem bis zu 3000 Menschen zu Tode kamen, wie der Pro Oriente-Informationsdienst berichtete. Im Rahmen einer Feierstunde im rumänischen Kloster Putna gedachten Kirche und Politik am Donnerstag der Opfer. Um 18:00 Uhr läuteten in der Bukowina in allen Klöstern und Kirchen der Erzdiözese Suceava und Rădăuţi die Glocken. Im Putna-Kloster wird das Andenken an die Opfer von Fântâna Albă besonders hochgehalten. Vor einigen Jahren ...

Romanians came out to vote on 6 and 7 October in a referendum to change the constitution to officially define marriage as between one man and one woman. However, not enough Romanians came out. The referendum needed 30% of the population to show up to be valid, but although the vote was extended to two days, only about 20% of registered voters actually cast ballots. At present, marriage is constitutionally defined as “between spouses.” Same-sex marriage is already banned in the Romanian civil ...

'We thank God and the people God works through', Patriarch Daniel said during the festive meeting held 28 September at the Romanian Saints Hall of the patriarchal residence in Bucharest. On 30 September 2017, His Beatitude Daniel celebrates his 10th anniversary of the enthronement as Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The first event to mark this anniversary was the festive meeting chaired by the Patriarch on Sept. 28. The meeting was attended by Their Graces Ieronim of Sinaia, Assist...

The unity of the Church is the gift of God and a co-responsibility of the clergy and the lay faithful. Message of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at the International Theological Conference “Panorthodox Unity and Synodality“, Iaşi, 9-12 January 2019: In contemporary society, characterised by increased secularisation, i.e. through relativisation of religious and moral values, a renewal of present Orthodox theology is more and more necessary, through a presentat...

An event was held on May 11 dedicated to the cultural-monastic landscape of Vânători-Neamț and the proposal to include the monasteries in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Vânători-Neamț is a commune in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania. The area includes 6 large monasteries, including the famous Neamț Monastery, and 10 dependent hermitages, with about 1,000 monastics. Between all the monasteries and churches in the area, there are 40 altars where the Holy Mysteries are served, which is u...

The largest mosaic depicting the More Spacious than the Heavens Icon of the Mother of God was applied on the half-dome that stands above the altar of the National Cathedral in Bucharest on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. The team of specialists was coordinated by iconographer Daniel Codrescu. The Panagia Platytera ton ouranon measures 16 meters high and was created by a team of artists coordinated by iconographer Daniel Codrescu. It is the first icon that decorates the walls of the Romanian People’s Sa...

One year since the consecration of Romania’s National Cathedral we provide you with some figures to help you understand what this national project has meant until today: 110 million euros: Because the number of press materials increased with the cathedral’s building process, and most of the time the deep significance of this national project is overlooked, the amounts spent with the National Cathedral have been intensely discussed. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (26. November 2019)

The People's Salvation Cathedral (Romanian: Catedrala Mântuirii Neamului), also known as the National Cathedral, an Orthodox cathedral under construction in Bucharest, Romania, to serve as the patriarchal cathedral of the Romanian Orthodox Church, has a giant Orthodox iconostasis (23.8 meters length and 17.1 meters height and an area of 407 square meters), which sets the new world record for the Largest Orthodox Iconostasis, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY. The iconostasis will be cover...

Romania’s most significant mosaic icon of the Mother of God emerged in the National Cathedral in Bucharest as workers have started removing tons of metal scaffolding covering the altar’s impressive iconography. At present, about 50% of the altar painting work has been completed. The basin of the altar apse is completely covered with mosaic, including decorations on the window frames and nave’s belt. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (19. Juni 2020)

The altar of Romania’s National Cathedral has begun to display its beautiful mosaic iconography with scaffolding starting to come down. Like all important works, the iconographic project of the altar started on paper. Starting with the highest and going downwards, the three registers present the following iconographic representations: The Tabernacle of the Congregation, which was a foreshadowing of the Mother of God in the Old Testament; The establishing of the New Testament through the Parta...

The members of the National Church Council met Tuesday, February 19, 2019, for the annual working session at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. The meeting was chaired by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. The NCC members reviewed the most important activities carried out last year by the Romanian Orthodox Church and set project proposals for 2019. The Patriarch of Romania read out the synthesis report stressing that in 2018 the Romanian Patriarchate spent 24 million Euros for the entire so...

Gemeinsam mit dem Ökumenischen Patriarchen Bartholomaios hat der rumänisch-orthodoxe Patriarch Daniel am 25. November die neue Kathedrale zur Erlösung der Nation in Bukarest geweiht. An den liturgischen Feiern nahmen mehrere zehntausend Gläubige teil. Das Gotteshaus zählt zu den größten orthodoxen Kirchen weltweit und verfügt über eine der größten frei schwingenden Glocken. Laut der Kirchenleitung soll die Kathedrale den „Opfer[n] der Vorfahren für den Glauben, die Würde und Einheit des Volke...

Das Gefängnis von Piteşti in Rumänien war zur Zeit des Kommunismus ein Ort der Folter, unvorstellbarer Grausamkeiten und des Todes. Nun wird auf dem Gefängnisgrund eine neue orthodoxe Kirche errichtet, die an die Opfer der Vergangenheit erinnern soll, wie der Pro Oriente-Informationsdienst berichtete. Die feierliche Grundsteinlegung nahm der Bischof der Erzdiözese Argeş und Muscel, Calinic (Argatu), vor. Er feierte zudem vor der Grundsteinlegung vor Ort einen Gedenkgottesdienst für die tausen...

Die Weihe der neuen orthodoxen Kathedrale von Bukarest Ende November 2018 soll nicht nur erstmals nach fast drei spannungsreichen Jahren zu einer Wiederbegegnung des Ökumenischen Patriarchen Bartholomaios mit seinem Moskauer Amtsbruder Kirill führen: Zur Eröffnung der größten Kirche Südosteuropas - bisher war das der Dom des heiligen Sava in Belgrad - soll nach jüngsten Informationen auch eine "Synaxis" aller Oberhirten der Orthodoxie stattfinden. Unter Synaxis wurde ursprünglich eine liturg...