After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of Romanian Orthodox believers took to the streets of Bucharest to honor Demetrius the New, the city's patron saint, as part of a weeklong celebration.
'Way Of The Saints' Procession Parades Relics As Bucharest's Orthodox Pilgrims Take To The Streets
- By RFE/RL
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Romanian Orthodox priests accompany the relics of St. Demetrius the New during a Way of the Saints religious procession in front of the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest on October 24.
Thousands of pilgrims from all over the country are expected to worship during the weeklong celebration, which began on October 22.
Thousands of pilgrims from all over the country are expected to worship during the weeklong celebration, which began on October 22.
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Although details of his life are sketchy, St. Demetrius is believed to have been born into a peasant family centuries ago on the bank of the Lom River in Bulgaria. He is said to have lived a life of abstinence and prayer in a cave close to where he was born.
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Following his death, his relics are said to have been placed in a church in the Bulgarian village of Basarbovo.
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During a conflict between Russia and Turkey in 1768-1774, his relics were brought to Romania to prevent Ottoman forces from desecrating them. They were later given as a gift to Romanian Orthodox believers in Bucharest to comfort them for their suffering and losses during the war.
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In 1774, Demetrius the New was named the protector of Bucharest. During the 19th century, the coffin containing his relics was taken out in processions to protect against plagues, cholera, and to drive away droughts.
Following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the relics are once again being led out of the Patriarchal Cathedral.
Following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the relics are once again being led out of the Patriarchal Cathedral.
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Relics from other Orthodox countries are also included in the celebration. This year, relics of St. Gregory Palamas have been brought in from Greece.
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The Romanian Orthodox Church decreed that 2022 will be the "Commemorative Year of the Hesychast Saints Symeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas, and Paisius (Velichkovsky) of Neamt."
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A Romanian schoolgirl walks with a group of Orthodox nuns carrying chrysanthemums during the procession.
St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) was a Byzantine Greek theologian and Eastern Orthodox cleric who is famous for his defense of Hesychasm, an ascetic practice of monastic origin that involves contemplation and uninterrupted prayer.
St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) was a Byzantine Greek theologian and Eastern Orthodox cleric who is famous for his defense of Hesychasm, an ascetic practice of monastic origin that involves contemplation and uninterrupted prayer.
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His Holiness Father Panteleimon of Greece (center) joined Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel (right) for the procession.
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Two separate processions -- one with the relics of St. Demetrius; the other with the relics of St. Constantine and St. Helen as well as St. Nektarious of Aegnia -- met at the base of the hill of the Romanian Patriarchate before walking up together.
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The relics were received at the altar by Patriarch Daniel (right), and Father Panteleimon (center). The sacred items were then placed for veneration on the Patriarchate Hill, where they will remain until October 28.
