The right hand of St. Basil the Great to visit Romania for the first time
The relic from Greece will be displayed in the cathedral of Alexandria to mark the 30th anniversary of the local diocese.
The faithful of Romania will for the first time have the opportunity to venerate the right hand of St. Basil the Great. The relic will be displayed in the cathedral church of the city of Alexandria from August 28 to September 2, 2026. This is reported by 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 Cathedral of St. Alexander.
The silver reliquary containing the relic will be accompanied by Bishop Nikodimos of Skopelos, vicar of the Metropolis of Chalcis 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 Sevastian of Slatina and Romanaţi.
The venerable 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 Union of Orthodox Journalists reported, the head of the Apostle Paul will be brought to Cyprus from the Vatican.
