National Cathedral, a landmark moment
The consecration of the National Cathedral mosaic was performed by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Mihai Pelin, 27.10.2025, 14:00
Until Friday, believers can worship at the altar of the National Cathedral in Bucharest, including during the night, after on Sunday Patriarch Daniel consecrated the paintings in the cathedral together with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, accompanied by a council of 65 hierarchs, 70 priests and 12 deacons.
The event was attended by 2,500 guests, including the presidents Nicuşor Dan and Maia Sandu of the Republic of Moldova. Also present were the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Mircea Abrudean and Sorin Grindeanu, the Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, the former heads of state Emil Constantinescu and Traian Băsescu, the Custodian of the Crown, Her Majesty Margareta and His Highness Radu of Romania, the president of the Romanian Academy, Ioan-Aurel Pop, the Apostolic Nuncio to Romania and the Republic of Moldova, Giampiero Gloder, alongside many other officials and guests from abroad.
Some 8,000 pilgrims from all over the country gathered in front of the Cathedral to attend the service, while several thousand others watched it outside the premises, on special screens.
Patriarch Daniel said the presence of His Holiness Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, both at the consecration of the Altar of the National Cathedral in Bucharest in 2018 and this year, at the consecration of the Cathedral painting, was “a testimony to the unity in Orthodoxy and of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s constant support for the administrative freedom and dignity of local churches.” He called the consecration of the National Cathedral painting “a bright moment of strengthening faith and brotherly love.”
In turn, Patriarch Bartholomew said that “a holy icon is not just a work of art, or a piece of decoration in our churches, monasteries or homes, but a powerful response of Orthodox theology against heresies that deny the truth of the incarnation of the Son of God and do not accept the deification of man by grace.”
People were moved and impressed by the scale of the National Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in the world, which can hold as many as 5,000 people. Two-thirds of its walls are covered with mosaics, on which over 200 Byzantine art specialists worked for seven years. The iconostasis spreads almost 400 square meters, with both sides totaling 800 square meters of mosaic. The six bells weigh 33 tonnes, of which the main one, one of the largest free-swinging bells in Europe, is 25 tonnes.
The event marked the Centennnial of the Romanian Patriarchate. In 2025, the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates 140 years since it was recognised as a self-governing church and 100 years since it was elevated to the rank of Patriarchate. (AMP)
