Romanian Church glorifies two wonderworking icons of the Mother of God

The Icon of the Mother of God from Dintr-un-Lemn Monastery (left) and the Craiova Icon of the Mother of God (right). Photo: Crestinortodox.ro

On September 30, 2025, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at a meeting chaired by Patriarch Daniel, decided to include in the Church calendar the feast days of two wonderworking icons of the Most Holy Theotokos. The decision was reported by Basilica.ro.

The Craiova Icon of the Mother of God will be commemorated on August 30, and the Icon of the Mother of God from Dintr-un-Lemn Monastery on July 21. The Synod approved the liturgical texts of the services and akathists dedicated to these icons and resolved to include them in the Synaxarion of the Romanian Church.

The Craiova Icon of the Mother of God, known as the “Madonna Dudu”, is kept in the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the center of the city of Craiova. According to Church tradition, the holy image was miraculously discovered in the branches of a mulberry tree at the site where the church was later built. Since then, the icon has been renowned for numerous miracles and healings.

The Icon of the Mother of God from Dintr-un-Lemn Monastery (Romanian for “From a Single Tree”), located in Vâlcea County, is believed to have been found by a shepherd named Radul inside the trunk of an oak tree, from which he then built the monastery’s first church. The icon, measuring about one and a half meters in height and one meter in width, is venerated as one of the oldest in Romania. According to a Byzantine art historian who examined it in 1929, it may have been created as early as the 4th century, following the model of icons attributed to the Apostle and Evangelist Luke. The faithful testify to many healings and miracles wrought through prayers before this sacred image.

The Synod’s decision to glorify the icons, as emphasized by the Patriarchate, reflects the Church’s desire to strengthen the faith of the people and to preserve the living connection with the spiritual heritage of Romanian Orthodoxy.

Earlier, the UOJ reported on the words of Patriarch Daniel, who stated that the future of Europe is possible only if it preserves its spiritual foundations and recognizes the primacy of the Christian faith.

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