16 canonized holy women appear in Romanian Orthodox Church
A solemn proclamation of the canonization of ascetics, whose lives span more than five centuries of the history of the Romanian Church, took place in Bucharest.
On February 6, 2026, in the patriarchal cathedral in Bucharest, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church and members of the Holy Synod celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the canonization of 16 Romanian holy women. The service was broadcast live on Trinitas TV and on the official platforms of the Patriarchate, reports basilica.ro website.
Before the beginning of the Liturgy, relics of several particularly venerated saints kept in the patriarchal residence were brought out for veneration. The solemn proclamation of canonization took place at the end of the service.
The decision to glorify 16 women – martyrs, nuns, confessors, mothers of saints and wives of rulers – was made by the Holy Synod in July 2025. As the Patriarchate emphasized, this act became an important stage in the spiritual life of the Romanian Orthodox Church and a notable addition to its synaxarion.
The day before, on Thursday evening, a memorial service (parastas) dedicated to the newly glorified saints was held at the patriarchal cathedral.
Patriarchal vicar Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești noted that 2026, dedicated to pastoral care for the Christian family and holy women of the church calendar, acquires special spiritual content in light of this canonization. "These 16 holy Romanian women worked diligently each in her own way, striving for salvation and union with God," he emphasized.
Special attention was given to the diversity of paths to holiness. According to Bishop Varlaam, the lives of the canonized women span a period of more than five hundred years – from Saint Platonida of Argeș in the 15th century to Saint Elizabeth of Păsăreni, who reposed in 2014. "From the perspective of social status, we see impressive diversity – from simple women to wives of rulers," the hierarch noted.
In conclusion, the hierarch pointed to the significance of canonization as living church instruction. The proclamation of holy women, according to Bishop Varlaam, is a kind of catechization designed to remind us of the role of the family in nurturing faith and holiness, "capable of producing saints even in our time."
As the UOJ wrote, the Romanian Church reported diaspora growth in 2025.
