Dozens of thousands of believers welcome relics of Saint John the New in Suceava

Tens of thousands of believers welcomed the relics of Saint John the New in Suceava. Photo: Basilica.ro

On the evening of June 21, 2026, thousands of Orthodox Christians welcomed the relics of the saint in the former capital of the Moldavian Principality. Several thousand more faithful awaited the procession at 11 stopping points along the entire route, where the clergy served molebens, reports Basilica.ro.

The procession was led by four hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church: Archbishop Calinic of Suceava and Rădăuți, Bishop Andrei of Covasna and Harghita, as well as auxiliary bishops Nectarie and Damaschin. At the head of the column, young people in national costumes carried a specially adorned icon of Saint John, accompanied by the state flag and the banner of the archdiocese.

The procession was attended by clergy of the diocese, abbots of Bukovinian monasteries, hundreds of seminarians, volunteers from youth organizations, as well as representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian communities. Cadets of the Stefan the Great Military College and the gendarmerie school joined the procession carrying lit torches.

The religious procession known as "The Path of the Saint" has become a tradition in Suceava over the past six years. The celebrations are dedicated to the feast of the translation of the relics of the Great Martyr John the New from Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi to Suceava. The main festivities conclude on June 24 — the feast day of the Great Martyr.

As the UOJ previously reported, the relics of the Venerable Olympiada of Fărcașa were uncovered in Romania.

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