cultural heritage

Children from Romania and Hungary gather for country’s longest-running semantron festival

More than 60 children from 14 Romanian counties and Hungary took part on Tuesday in the 21st edition of the International Semantron Festival, held at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Victoria, Brașov County. The participants were welcomed at Victoria Town Hall, where local authorities hosted a reception in their honour. The programme…

Jul 9, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania confirms recovery of ancient gold artefacts stolen from Dutch museum

Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Țoiu, has confirmed that key pieces of the Romanian national treasure—the Golden Helmet of Coțofenești and the Dacian gold bracelets—have been recovered by Dutch authorities and will be returned to Romania. In a statement published on social media, Țoiu said she had discussed the matter with her Dutch counterpart,…

Apr 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox Church launches digital archive of over 60,000 cultural artifacts

The Romanian Patriarchate has launched a major project to digitise the cultural heritage of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Romanians will gain online access to over 60,000 historical books, manuscripts, documents, and other valuable items from churches across the country. The project will scan and digitally preserve 60,015 historical, artistic, and documentary items dating from the…

Jul 21, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania’s Vânători-Neamț Natural Park could become Europe’s eighth UNESCO mixed site

Romania’s Vânători-Neamț Natural Park, home to the historic monasteries of Neamț, could become the eighth mixed UNESCO site in Europe. “There are natural sites, and there are cultural sites, but those number in the thousands. However, there are only seven mixed sites in all of Europe. Vânători-Neamț Natural Park could become the eighth. This is…

Mar 19, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania’s Central Bank issues commemorative coin for the 375th anniversary of Saint Anthimos the Iberian’s birth

The National Bank of Romania (BNR) launched a commemorative gold coin on Monday to mark the 375th anniversary of the birth of Saint Anthimos the Iberian, an emblematic cultural personality of Georgian origin who served as Metropolitan of Wallachia between 1708 and 1716. Coin Design and Features The obverse of the coin features a detailed…

Mar 3, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Via Transilvanica voted the public’s favourite at European Heritage Awards 2023

The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 was held on Thursday in Venice. The Public Choice Award went to Via Transilvanica, Romania’s longest hiking trail. Via Transilvanica is 1,400 kilometres long and connects 12 UNESCO heritage sites. It starts at Putna Monastery and ends in Drobeta Turnu‑Severin, where Apollodorus of Damascus built a…

Sep 29, 2023Ștefana Totorcea

Patriarch Daniel announces a centre for protection and promotion of Snagov monastery’s cultural heritage

In two years, Snagov Monastery will have a centre for protecting and promoting its cultural heritage. The announcement was made by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel during a visit to the monastery at the end of September occasioned by the commemoration of Wallachia’s Ruler Saint Neagoe Basarab. “It was found that there is a great need…

Oct 5, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Tiny 18th-century wooden Romanian church wins European prize for heritage

The European Commission and Europa Nostra have announced the 2021 winners of the European cultural heritage awards. A Romanian 18th-century wooden church in the Carpathian foothills that was destroyed by fire and carefully restored in recent years was announced as one of the winners on Tuesday. The church which is to be found in the…

May 27, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

When culture is inspired by worship, it opens up to eternity: Patriarch Daniel on National Culture Day

In his message on Romania’s National Culture Day, Patriarch Daniel referred to the connection between worship and culture but also stressed the liturgical and cultural value of cemeteries. “When religious worship bore fruit in culture, it opened up to universality; and when the culture was inspired by worship, it opened up to eternity,” His Beatitude…

Jan 16, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Ecumenical Patriarch thanks Patriarch of Romania for solidarity over Hagia Sophia issue: ‘The Church of God’s Wisdom belongs to all humanity’

His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew thanked the Patriarch of Romania “from the depth of his heart” for the support expressed in the case of the Hagia Sophia Basilica following a decision of the Turkish authorities to transform it into a mosque after 86 years. “From the depth of our heart, we thank you for Your…

Aug 4, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Byzantine chant joins UNESCO list on intangible cultural heritage

UNESCO has inscribed Byzantine chant in Cyprus and Greece on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, In Cyprus reported. The decision was taken by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting in Bogota which inscribed one more element on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in…

Dec 12, 2019Sorin Ioniţe