06-05-2025

Pilgrimage to the monasteries and temples of Romania

A group of parishioners from the Diocese of Brussels and Belgium made a pilgrimage to the monasteries and churches of Romania.

With the blessing of the Archbishop of Brussels and Belgium Simon, from April 30 to May 6, 2025, parishioners from different parishes in Belgium made a pilgrimage to the shrines of Romania. The program began in the city of Iasi, where the group visited three monasteries: Galata, Cetatsuya and Golia, as well as the city's cathedral, where the relics of St. Paraskeva rest. After lunch, the pilgrims prayed in the Church of the Three Hierarchs and toured the city with its remarkable palace.

The next day, there was a visit to the Probota Monastery, founded in 1530 with its famous church, which has external paintings over the entire surface of the walls. Here, the pilgrims venerated the relics of St. John the New. Then the group visited the monasteries of Suceava, Dragomirna, Putna, and the hermitages (hesychistries) that belonged to them. The name of the last monastery, Putna, is associated with the beginning of the pilgrimage route, which included a specific route that went around the monasteries of Bukovina on foot, the entire "path" being one thousand four hundred kilometers long.

The third day was dedicated to a visit to the Sucevita Monastery and a visit to the grave of the recently canonized in Romania Saint Cleopa, known for his ascetic life and insight. Then the pilgrims arrived at the Neamts Monastery, famous in Bukovina, where they venerated the monastery's relics and the relics of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky that rest there. Then they visited the Varatic Monastery. The name of the monastery is associated with the warm climate of these places, where the heat - "var" - is due to the specific geographical location of the monastery.

The pilgrims then traveled by bus towards Bucharest, passing the Red Lake, visiting the monasteries of Bistrita, Izvorul and Muresului. In the city of Brasov, they visited the Black Church and the Church of St. Nicholas.

On Sunday, the group visited the Brancoveanu Monastery, where everyone received the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the Divine Liturgy. After the service, the pilgrims reached the city of Sibiu, where they visited the cathedral and venerated the relics of St. Andrew Şaguna.

On Monday, May 5, they visited the monasteries of Cozia, founded in 1387, Horezi and Bistrita Olteanu (1490).

Then the pilgrims venerated the relics of St. Philothea, which are in the Curtea Monastery, and arrived in Bucharest. Here the group visited the patriarchal cathedral, the Church of Constantine and Helena, and also got acquainted with the patriarchal residence and the grand new national Orthodox cathedral of Romania under construction. That evening the pilgrims flew to Brussels.