Northern Bukovina

Putna monastery holds memorial service for victims of Soviet-era Fântâna Albă massacre: They died facing the homeland

The monastic community of Putna Monastery held a memorial service on Wednesday in remembrance of the thousands of Northern Bukovinians massacred by Soviet forces at Fântâna Albă as they attempted to cross peacefully into Romania, seeking refuge in their motherland following the occupation of Northern Bukovina. “A tragedy, a sorrow, a sacrifice about which, for…

Apr 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Foreign Minister says Fântâna Albă victims ‘deserve remembrance’ on 85th anniversary of Massacre

Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said on Wednesday that the victims of the Fântâna Albă massacre “deserve remembrance,” marking 85 years since the tragedy. In a message posted on social media, the minister stressed that the events of April 1, 1941, remain an open wound in the collective conscience: “Not all wounds heal with the…

Apr 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Hundreds Commemorate Victims of Fântâna Albă Massacre in Ukraine’s Chernivtsi Region

Hundreds of Romanians from northern Bukovina gathered on Wednesday to commemorate the victims of the Fântâna Albă massacre at the site of the tragedy in Ukraine’s Chernivtsi region. The memorial service took place in the Varnița forest, where a monument stands in memory of the thousands of Romanians who, on April 1, 1941, following the…

Apr 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania marks 85 years since Fântâna Albă Massacre, known as ‘Romanian Katyn’

Wednesday, 1 April, marks 85 years since the Fântâna Albă massacre, an event often referred to as the “Romanian Katyn”. In April 1941, Northern Bukovina was part of the Soviet Union following the ultimatum issued to the Kingdom of Romania in June 1940. The predominantly Romanian population was subjected to a campaign of arrests and…

Apr 1, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Dormition Fast begins on Old Calendar: Traditions from Romania’s border communities to Orthodox faithful worldwide

Most Romanian communities around Romania’s borders, as well as Orthodox faithful in other parts of the world, follow the unrevised calendar and are preparing for the Dormition Fast, which begins on Thursday, August 14. Popularly known as “Saint Mary’s Fast,” it is meant to be quite strict, as it culminates with the Dormition of the…

Aug 13, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarchate supports the plea of Romanians in Chernivtsi to reopen the Bukovina Metropolitans’ Chapel

The Romanian Patriarchate, noting with regret and sadness that services in the Romanian language can no longer be held in Chernivtsi’s Chapel of the Bukovina Metropolitans, who spoke and officiated religious services in Romanian, stands in solidarity with the Orthodox Romanians of Chernivtsi, who call for the reopening of the historic chapel for religious services…

Sep 4, 2024Ștefana Totorcea

The thousands of northern-Bukovina Romanians killed by the Soviets at Fântâna Albă were commemorated at Putna Monastery

The hieromonks of Putna Monastery commemorated last Saturday, as they do every year, the thousands of Romanians massacred at Varnița (Fântâna Albă) on April 1, 1941 in the so-called “Romanian Katyn” onslaught. The service was held at the “People’s Golgotha – Fântâna Albă” Memorial Portal, built at Putna Monastery in their memory. The monastery fathers…

Apr 6, 2023Ștefana Totorcea

80th anniversary of the Fântâna Albă Massacre

April 1 became by law, adopted in 2011, a National Day honouring the memory of Romanians who were the victims of the massacres at Fântâna Albă and other areas, deportations, famine and other forms of repression organized by the totalitarian Soviet regime in Hertza region, northern Bukovina and the whole of Bessarabia. After signing the…

Apr 1, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu