Christian heritage

Bucharest Declaration calls for greater international cooperation to protect Christian heritage

Participants in the World Congress of Syriac Studies and the International Conference on Arab Christian Studies adopted the “Bucharest Declaration” on Friday, recognising Romania’s contribution to the development of cultural diplomacy. According to a press release issued by the Levant Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture of Peace, the declaration was adopted in the…

Aug 10, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Assyrian Patriarch Mar Awa III makes first visit to Romania for Syriac studies congress

His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, made his first-ever visit to Romania from August 3 to 7. According to a press release from the Levant Institute, the visit took place in conjunction with the 14th World Congress for Syriac Studies and the 12th International Conference on Christian Arabic…

Aug 7, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

World Syriac Congress opens in Bucharest, highlights Christian heritage and peacebuilding

More than 400 scholars, religious leaders, and academics from 35 countries assembled on Monday for the opening of the World Syriac Congress and the International Conference on Arab Christian Studies in Bucharest. The opening ceremony took place in the Ion I. C. Brătianu Hall of the Palace of Parliament. Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, Director General of the…

Aug 7, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

UNESCO adds Sebastia archaeological site in West Bank to World Heritage List

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has inscribed the archaeological site of Sebastia in the West Bank on the World Heritage List. The decision was adopted during the Committee’s 48th session, held in Busan, South Korea. More than three millennia of continuous habitation According to the nomination dossier, Sebastia has been continuously inhabited for more than 3,000…

Aug 4, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archaeologists uncover previously unknown 1,600-year-old early Christian basilica in northern Italy

A vast early Christian basilica dating back approximately 1,600 years, previously unknown to scholars, has been discovered in the Italian town of Oderzo, in the province of Treviso, northern Italy. According to a report by Archaeo Reporter, the discovery was made on the site of the town’s former fish market during preventive archaeological excavations that…

Jul 9, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Georgia’s National Day celebrated at Romanian Patriarchate amid focus on shared Christian heritage

Georgia’s National Day was celebrated on Wednesday at the Festivitas Reception Hall of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Palace in Bucharest, where Georgian Ambassador Tamar Beruchashvili highlighted the Church’s decisive role in shaping and preserving Georgian national identity. The event was attended by Ana Cristina Tinca, state secretary for strategic affairs within Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,…

May 28, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Jerusalem Churches launch restoration of Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem

The Jerusalem Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land, and the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced the start of restoration work at the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. According to a joint statement, the works will be carried out by the Italian company that recently oversaw the rehabilitation of the Church of the Nativity,…

Jan 29, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Egypt discovers Byzantine-era monastery remains in Sohag, shedding light on Upper Egypt monastic life

Recent archaeological excavations in Egypt’s southern Sohag governorate have uncovered traces of a Byzantine-period monastery, offering new insights into the organisation and daily life of monastic communities in Upper Egypt. Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathi, said the discovery reflects the richness of the country’s historical heritage and the diversity of its religious…

Jan 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu