St. Basil the Great's hand to visit Romania for first time

The silver reliquary with the right hand of St. Basil the Great. Photo source: leipsanothiki.com

The faithful of Romania will  have the opportunity to venerate the right hand of St. Basil the Great for the first time. The relic will be displayed in the cathedral church of the city of Alexandria from August 28 to September 2, 2026, reports Basilica.ro.

The transfer of the holy relics from Greece has been timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Alexandria and Teleorman, as well as the feast day of the St. Alexander Cathedral.

The silver reliquary containing the relic will be accompanied by Bishop Nikodimos of Skopelos, vicar of the Metropolis of Chalkida of the Greek Orthodox Church. As part of the visit, on September 1, the Greek hierarch will celebrate a solemn Divine Liturgy together with Metropolitan Theophanes of Moldova and Bukovina and Bishop Sebastian of Slatina and Romanaţi.

The sacred right hand of the great Cappadocian saint was previously kept in the treasury of the Metropolis of Nicomedia in Asia Minor. In 1921, during the evacuation of the Orthodox population, the relic was rescued and brought to Greece aboard warships.

Since October 1922, the reliquary has been under the care of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. At present, the relics of St. Basil, encased in a silver setting dating from 1849, are permanently kept in the Synodal Chapel in Athens.

As the UOJ reported, the Apostle Paul's head will be brought to Cyprus from the Vatican.

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