First Ecumenical Council Anniversary

Rare Early Christian ‘Good Shepherd’ fresco found in ancient Nicaea tomb

A rare depiction of Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” has been uncovered in a chamber tomb in the Hisardere Necropolis in the ancient city of Nicaea (modern-day Iznik), in Turkey’s Bursa province, Turkiye Today reported. Researchers consider the scene to be the only known example of its kind identified so far in Anatolia, describing it…

Dec 15, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel highlights Saint Anthony the Great as model for Christian life in message to Bose Conference

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania has sent a message to the 31st International Conference on Orthodox Spirituality at Bose Monastery in Italy, where theologians, monastics, and scholars from various Christian traditions are gathered to reflect on “Saint Anthony the Great, the Father of Monks.” The Romanian Patriarch emphasised that Saint Anthony remains a model…

Sep 4, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel points to family as domestic church where children experience God’s paternal love

On the occasion of International Children’s Day and Parents and Children’s Sunday, which this year coincides with the great feast of Pentecost, Patriarch Daniel of Romania conveyed a powerful message on the spiritual role of the Christian family. He emphasized that the family is more than a social unit—it is a domestic church, where children…

Jun 3, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

National Symposium in Teleorman to mark Patriarchate’s Centennial and First Ecumenical Council anniversary

A national symposium commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Romanian Patriarchate and the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea will take place in early May at Pantocrator Monastery in Teleorman, coinciding with the arrival of the relics of the Holy Empress Helena. The symposium, titled “Faith, Service, and History in the Ecclesial…

Mar 18, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

1700 years since the First Ecumenical Council: Theology scholar presents context of Nicaea

In an interview with Lumina Newspaper, Rev. Prof. Viorel Ioniță reflected on the historical and theological context of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, which marks its 1700th anniversary this year. Father Ioniță, an honorary patriarchal counselor and experienced professor of theology, discussed the reasons for convening the Council, the preserved documents, its impact on…

Feb 13, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Saint Helena’s relics to visit Romania after centuries in Venice

The relics of the Holy Empress Helena, mother of Saint Constantine the Great, Emperor and Equal-to-the-Apostles, will be brought to Pantocrator Monastery in southern Romania for a historic pilgrimage. The sacred remains, currently housed in a Venetian Catholic church, will stay at the monastery from April 30 to May 8, 2025. Saint Helena was originally…

Jan 23, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu