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Location: Romania
Author(s): Claudiu Cotan
Title: The start of Romanian Pilgrimage to the Holy Places
The start of Romanian Pilgrimage to the Holy Places
Issue: 1/2015
Citation Claudiu Cotan. "The start of Romanian Pilgrimage to the Holy Places". Dialogo 1:189 - 198.
style:

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The start of Romanian Pilgrimage to the

Holy Places
Assoc. Prof. PhD. Claudiu Cotan
Ovidius University,
Constanta, Romania
claudyu_cotan@yahoo.com

Abstract: The Pilgrimage to the Holy Places has individual or collective, but especially by the
always been one of the dimensions of the Christian celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The churches,
life. Ever since the 4th century the Christians used to road side shrines and chapels became places of
go to the Holy Land wishing to live the Bible realities prayer on the pilgrim’s way to the Holy Places.
which they knew only from the Holy Scripture. The The pilgrimages made for the sacred place of the
Orthodox Christians of Wallachia appeared among preaching of the Gospel of Christ, for the graves
the pilgrims to the Holy Places in the 17th century.
of the saints and martyrs, as well as for the places
of residence of the famous monks. When they
During the reign of Constantine Brancoveanu the reached those loca sacra which witnessed either
pilgrimage to Jerusalem or Mount Athos has become about Christ or about the activity of the apostles,
an ordinary spiritual devotion. Once back in the the pilgrims wanted to read in the Holy Bible the
country, these pilgrims used to raise a church or texts referring to the respective places and to
monastery as thanksgiving for the success of their the things Christ and his disciples said. The same
spiritual journey. thing was done when the pilgrims arrived at the
places related to the life of a saint, choosing to
Keywords: pilgrimage, Holy Places, monastery, read holy texts from the Lives of the Saints.
saint, prayer, monks, church The pilgrimage was understood as an act of
thanksgiving or of repentance. While making
I. INTRODUCTION such journeys, some of the faithful chose to live
the monastic life in these special places. Blessed
Pilgrimage has been one of the realities of Jeronim came to live in the Holy Land together
the Christian life ever since the first centuries. with his disciple women. Most times, before
The journey to the Holy Places has been known coming back to their countries, the pilgrims
from the 4th century from Egeria’s travel notes, gave various donations or offers at the altars
a Christian woman from Spain, who covered of the churches or monasteries visited, or gave
the long way to the Orient wishing to live a new money to the poor. Jerusalem is the ancient city,
Christian experience, and especially to discover the place of Christ’s preaching, as well as the
the Bible places. The contemplation of the heavenly eschatological Jerusalem, the place
holy places was accompanied by prayer, either where Christ will come for the second time to

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judge the living and the dead. Thus, there is In the 17th century the custom of the
a Jerusalem of our reality, where the pilgrim pilgrimage to the Holy Places appears in the
goes to discover the heavenly Jerusalem, of the Romanian Principalities too, especially to
encounter with Christ. Many times the monks Jerusalem, and to the great monasteries of
compared the Christian life to a pilgrimage that the Holy Land, where a special place is held by
takes the human from the city on the earth to the the Monastery of Saint Catherine, to Mount
heavenly city. After the pilgrimage of repentance Athos, a place where especially the monks go
that Empress Helen did to Jerusalem in 326, to, Meteora with its monasteries, as well as
many churches and monasteries were raised in Eastern locations as Kiev and Moscow. The
the places related to the history of salvation. pilgrimage is recommended in the Confession of
The churches raised by Constantine the Great Faith of metropolitan Petru Movila, part I which
became places of pilgrimage, marking the most comments the articles of faith of the Creed,
important places of the Christians, namely the section 41, which read that the Holy Land: „(...)
Holy Sepulchre and Bethlehem. From the 8th the grave of Christ is still full of glory and the one
century forward the pilgrimage has been part of who goes there with faith and great love, will
the canonical penitence. Pilgrimage becomes a have his sins forgiven through the intercession
manifestation of the Christian devotion so great of Christ”. The father confessor urges the
that it gets several aspects. The pilgrimages faithful to go on pilgrimages to the holy places
done on behalf of the one who was suffering but (peregrinations ad loca sacra) [5],besides
could not do such a journey himself appear now. fasting, praying and charity. The theme of
Sometimes a parish delegated a faithful to go pilgrimage appears in the church painting too,
on a pilgrimage in the name of the community in the porch of Polovragi Monastery showing
and to pray for all parishioners. The Christian the Mount Athos with its monasteries,[6] “the
who could not go on a pilgrimage during his life garden of the Mother of God” (1703), as well
time, when dying he left all the money needed as in the porch of the metropolitan palace of
for doing such a journey to a pilgrim to do such a Targoviste where according to Paul de Alep the
journey in his name. monasteries of the Holy Land were painted,
Jerusalem, Sinai Mount and Mount Athos with
Jerusalem was one of the most important its monasteries[ ]. The painters from Polovragi
destinations of the Christian pilgrim. After the must have known the Proschinitar of Mount
Christianisation of the Hungarians, King Steven Athos (a book of prayers with information on
the Saint provided protection to the pilgrims the holy places) by John Comnen. Certainly, the
who were passing through his country on their main focus of the Romanian pilgrims is Mount
way to Palestine. A climax of the pilgrimage Athos, maybe due to its geographic location and
was noticed in the year 1033, a date with role in the Eastern tradition. This is why during
eschatological significance in the Christian the reign of Constantine Brancoveanu, the Holy
collective mental [1].Mount Sinai is a locus Mount became the object of many donations of
sanctus in its turn, where the pilgrim manifests this ruling prince.
himself through proskinesis, the devotion
expressed to God which makes himself present In order to guide the pilgrims to Mount Athos
at the place where God spoke with Moses [2]. one of the most important works is published
Egeria’s pilgrimage to Sinai is known from the the Proschinitar of Mount Athos, drafted by
Travel Journal, where she presents us not only John Comnen in 1701 and printed at Snagov,
the search of the place, but also the dialogue with translated into Russian by monk Damaschin to
the monks and hermits with whom she attends be useful to the Russian pilgrims. John Comnen,
the lectio divina, readings of the Holy Scriptures, the future metropolitan of Dristrei[7], made a
oratio, prayer and oblatio, the celebration of journey to Mount Athos to gather data related
the Divine Liturgy[3].We know the case of John to the donations and aids sent by the Romanian
Casian from our territory, a pilgrim who went to princes. He writes in the letters sent to
Egypt and Constantinople, as well as to Rome metropolitan Teodosie of Ungro-Wallachia that
and Marseille, where he set up monasteries and there were “proschinitare” for Jerusalem and
imposed a spiritual experience broken from the Mount Sinai, but not for Mount Athos. Maybe
world, but not far from the world (xeniteia)[4]. such books existed, but Comnen did not know

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anything about them. Comnen’s work advertised from every Christian pilgrim, which they sent to
Mount Athos, the pilgrims having been urged the Islam religious foundations of the city. Thus,
to travel to Mount Athos to see the beautiful the Ottomans were interested in supporting the
monasteries over there, the holy relics to pray to, Christians’ pilgrimages which helped the Islam
the liturgical vessels and the vestments as well. indirectly[9].
Moreover, the author hopes Prince Constantine
Brancoveanu, the benefactor of Mount Athos, to Thus, for Christians and for Orthodox too,
go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Mount[8]. From the Holy Places represented the historical space
the second half of the 17th century forward, such of the activity mentioned in the Old Testament,
proschinitare start writing about the Romanian and especially the place of Christ’s preaching the
Principalities. The pilgrims learned more things Gospel, of his passions and of his Resurrection.
about Mount Sinai also from the maps published Jerusalem is the city of the future too, the
by the Venetian publishing houses. The places place where the world will be judged at the
of pilgrimage proposed were especially those Last Judgement. Unfortunately, the Romanian
inhabited by free Orthodox people, in the literature does not mention these pilgrimages;
Romanian Principalities and Russia. not even the aristocratic pilgrimage of the
Cantacuzinos family mentions their itinerary
The person who went to the Holy Places which must have been the one followed by the
was called hagi and his pilgrimage hagialac, members of Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre,
which fact proves the influence the Muslim passing through Adrianopol and Constantinople,
pilgrimage exerted over the Romanian the donations given, or at least the religious
Orthodox faithful during the 2nd half of the services which they must have certainly
17th century. For Christians the pilgrimage was attended. [10] Lady Elina Cantacuzino, who
a recommendation of the father confessor, but initiated this pilgrimage, was in good relations
for Muslims it was a must, one of the tasks of with patriarch Dositei of Jerusalem, who must
the religious life. Because the pilgrimages were have encouraged the initiative of this journey[11].
a source of income, the Ottoman Empire set
up a true infra-structure to ensure their good Almost all the Romanian ruling princes of the
development through caravans, supplying 17th century showed their love for the Orthodox
water and aliments, and especially protecting East especially through the rich donations they
the pilgrims against ruffians or Bedouins in the offered. Mihai Cantacuzino’s pilgrimage to
case of Egypt. The military escort of the pilgrims Sinai and Jerusalem in 1682, together with his
who were crossing the River Jordan or the mother and sister is only one proof of the love
desert became normal. Thus, the pilgrimage that the Romanian faithful showed to the Holy
involved a flux of merchandises and money Places. This pilgrimage of the Cantacuzino family
favouring both the Christians and the Muslims. is mentioned by patriarch Samuil of Alexandria
The merchants who were travelling the same (1710-1743), maybe to mark a rare and important
way as the pilgrims displayed their merchandises thing through the number and greatness of
around a place of pilgrimage or a monastery. the group of pilgrims. The following note in
The tax for displaying the merchandises was the Slavonic language was found on a Serbian
ascribed to the monasteries, while the panayir gospel from the 16th century, from Saint Sava
tax ascribed to the Ottoman authorities was Monastery: „Year 7190 (1682), April month, day
shared with the local metropolitan. At these 26, lady Ilinca Vlascoga came here from Jerusalem
places or monasteries, the faithful were splashed together with her son sword bearer Mihai, and
with holy water, ageasma, while the donations her daughter Stanca. Iancu Bulibasa came with
they offered were called hagiasma, having them too, together with ten seimeni (mercenary
also been holy through the sacrificial spirit of pedestrian solders) and 40 men of his retinue”.
the faithful. These pilgrimages ensured some It was the retinue worthy of a great boyar.
prosperity to the respective place or monastery, The greatness of the group of pilgrims was
as well as a prestige in society to the one who certainly due to the need of safety, because it
succeeded in going on such a hagialac. The was a very expensive journey to a long distance
Ottoman authorities of Jerusalem administrated from Wallachia. Very interesting is the will of
important amounts coming from the tax got Elina Cantacuzino of 1 September 1681, which

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explained the cause of the pilgrimage initiated: Places, Brancoveanu was directly involved in the
„I, Elina, daughter to Serban Cantacuzino and Sinaics’ domestic affairs ever since 1690, as he
Lady Elina, wife of the late Minister for Foreign mentioned in a letter addressed to metropolitan
Affairs Constandin Cantacuzino, certify through Clement of Adrianopol, informing him that he did
this letter of mine that having reached an old not agree with the turmoil caused by the monks
age, I thought it was a good thing for me to do from Sinai[15]. In 1695, Brancoveanu wrote to
to travel to Jerusalem, to pray there to the holy patriarch Dositei of Jerusalem about the disputes
place where I buried the pure body of His Grace, to of the monks of Sinai and praised the pastoral
complain the multitude of my sins, as said: I have tact of the great patriarch[16]. Moreover, he was
not come to call the righteous, but the sinners glad when Hrisant was elected patriarch with no
to repentance, and: whoever comes to me I shall turmoil within the Synod[17]. When archbishop
not send him away”[12]. The pilgrims prayed Ioanichie I Peloponnesios (1671-1702) passed
to the Holy Sepulchre, and Mihai Cantacuzino through Wallachia, the prince showed his love
continued his way up to Mount Sinai. The for Sinai, so that on the occasion of this visit
Cantacuzino pilgrims shared gifts to the Greek the Monastery of Ramnicu Sarat was dedicated
monks from the Holy Sepulchre at these spiritual to Sinai (30 January 1700) through a princely
stops, but they did not forget the poor either. decree[18]. A few years later, Brancoveanu
When leaving Jerusalem the pilgrims were taken associated his uncle Mihai Cantacuzino to his
to the Holy City by monks and faithful, „all the foundation at Ramnicu Sarat[19], maybe as
fathers of the Great Church of Jerusalem and appreciation for the one who walked personally
all citizens accompanying them”. As dramatic on the holy land of Palestine.
is presented the entrance into the country of
the group of pilgrims who came back safe and In order to make the Holy Land and the
sound: “Prince Serban with all his boyars and his Monastery of Saint Catherine known to the
court came out to meet them, joining his mother, faithful, metropolitan Antim Ivireanul printed in
kissing her hand with great love, and entered the 1710, at Targoviste, a book in the Greek language,
princely houses of Bucharest in great honour”[13]. of great importance for the monks of Sinai
The moment is mentioned in 1681 by Gheorghe entitled „The book which comprises the religious
Brancovici in his Chronicle: „Her Highness, Lady service of Saint Catherine, the proschinitar of the
Elena, sweet mother of His Highness Prince Serban Holy Mount Sinai with everything around, the
Cantacuzino, when she reached old age, took Lady good order of the monastery’s religious service,
Stanca Cantacuzino with her and went to see the and all those who were archbishops there and
Holy Places, praying to the Holy Sepulchre of an encomium for Mount Sinai, printed in the
Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and to other holy places time of most venerable prince John Constantine
of Jerusalem, giving many expensive gifts there. Basarab, master of the entire Ungro-Wallachia,
And they came back happy to the beloved people by His Grace and most scholar metropolitan of
of her country”[14]. The example given by the Holy Metropolitanate of Ungro-Wallachia,
Cantacuzinos through this pilgrimage was hard Antim of Iviria, in the Holy Metropolitanate of
to imitate by other boyars, so that the splendour Targoviste, by care of and corrected by Rt Rev
of this pilgrimage remains unique in the history Hieromonk Mitrofan Grigoras from Dodona, in
of the Romanians’ relations with the Holy Land. the year 1719, month of September”[20]. As the
title mentions, Mitrofan Grigoras, professor at
One of Prince Constantine Brancoveanu’s the Princely Academy of Saint Sava supervised
religious concerns was Mount Sinai and the the printing of this book. The printing was done
disputes between the Sinaics and Patriarchate by Gheorghe Radovici, printer disciple of Antim,
of Jerusalem. Very interesting is the fact that who activated at Targoviste from 1710-1714.
although the Wallachian Prince helped so many
places of worship of the Orthodox Orient, he The offering of the Cantacuzinos after the
was not a pilgrim, but certainly he knew the pilgrimage to Sinai was implemented, according
beauty of the pilgrimage from the relations of to the pilgrims’ custom, in building Sinaia
his close ones, of Mihai Cantacuzino first of all, Monastery. From 1690-1695, the monastery
and tried to support these destinations of the founded by Mihai Cantacuzino was built, „in
pilgrims. In order to make peace at the Holy the likeness of big Sinaia, in the glory and praise

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of God and honour of the Falling Asleep of the estate to Cotroceni Monastery too, founded by
Mother of God (...)”, as the foundation document Serban Cantacuzino. The relics of Saint Simion
reads[21]. The famous Greek theologian, John were at Studeniča Monastery, those of Saint
Cariofil, had close relations with Sinai, having Metropolitan Maxim were at Krušedol, and the
good knowledge of the Sinaite metokions of relics of Saint Sava were at Mileševa, Toma’s
Wallachia. donations having proved the Serbian nationalism
that animated the Slavs living in the South of the
Although the pilgrimage to the Holy Places River Danube who were at permanent war with
and to Mount Athos provided the participants the Ottoman Empire[24]. In 1719, his wife Stana
with a certain statute in society as persons gave the Metropolitanate of Bucharest a shop
worthy praying at the holiest places of the situated in the Ulita Mare (Big Street).
Orthodox, only a few people followed the
example of the Cantacuzinos. Yet, in the 17th When back home from pilgrimage hagi
century the names of such pilgrims are known: Stoian and his wife Elena dedicated Valenii
clucer Stoian (person in charge with supplying de Munte skete, which they had founded, to
the princely court) with his wife Elena, founders Cotroceni Monastery (15 May 1684). The skete
of Valeni Monastery, comis Apostolache (person was endowed from the very beginning with
in charge with the prince’s stables), the founder several houses, 10 acres of vineyard at Deptura,
of the monastery of his name, pilgrim to two estates, Gypsis, 100 salt boulders, animals
Jerusalem together with master of ceremonies and 800 golden coins. It should be mentioned
hagi Sava, hagis Dobre and Craciun, mentioned that the skete got several estates throughout
in a document of 1654, hagi Toma, captain of the years, vineyards, tax exemptions, all this
seimens at the time of Constantin Brancoveanu, making a substantial income for the monastery
direct subordinate of the sword bearer Mihai of Bucharest and for Mount Athos indirectly[25].
Cantacuzino, donor to the monasteries of Serbia
and Bulgaria, hagi Parvan from Campulung, hagi A very interesting case is that of “Hagiu”
Radu Fierescu, Iane captain hagi, Ivan, hagi Ivan church of Bucharest. At the time of Saint
of Belingrad, metropolitan Varlaam of Wallachia, Constantine Brancoveanu’s ruling a monastery
pro-egumen hagi Iosif from Hurezi, hagi Macarie, used to be on the place of the present church,
monk at Radu Voda Monastery, Dionisie from which had only 3-4 monks. The abbot who had
Margineni Monastery, hagi at the Holy Mount, been at the Holy Places was considered a “hagi”,
etc[22]. where from the name of “Hagi’s church”. The
edge of the town used to be here marked by a
Captain of seimens Toma travelled to the Holy ditch dug along Traian street.
Land to pray there to have his sins forgiven, after
all his nine children had died. Toma was grateful Two hierarchs are pilgrims at the middle of
to Brancoveanu whom he served with faith: „(...) the century. One of them, metropolitan Dionisie
the Serb and bringing me God here, in the country, travelled to Mount Athos and to Moscow sent
on Christian land, in the country of his highness, by Ivir Monastery, going on his pilgrimage as
honoured by his nation and of good family, blessed obedience, and the other one, metropolitan
by merciful God and prince Constantine Basaraba, Varlaam of Ungro-Wallachia went on a pilgrimage
in all Wallachia, protector and merciful, together to the Holy Land, after he had passed through
with all the honoured Cantacuzino family”; Transylvania and Russia as a repentance journey.
he followed the example of the great prince His pilgrimage to the Holy Land must have
donating to some churches and monasteries coincided with that o Elina Cantacuzino, in 1682.
from Serbia and Bulgaria. The donations he Metropolitan Varlaam appears in the history of
gave from the estate he had at Muscel were the 17th century as an original character in the
given to the Monasteries of Ravaniča, Studeniča, conflict between the great families of boyars.
Krušedol, Mileševa and Hilandar, as well as He is the hierarch who had good relations with
to the Bulgarian Monastery of Rila and to the both parts, coming at the head of the Church not
Patriarchate of Jerusalem, to which he donated because he wanted to, but because he had to.
his houses from Bucharest to be remembered
after his death[23]. Toma donated a part of his Dionisie had been a monk and ecclesiarch at

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the Monastery of the Falling Asleep of the Mother from Brancoveanu concerning the preservation
of God of Campulung, and corrector too as long maybe of the relics of Saint John the Baptism
as the printing press operated here. Hence he from Dionisiu. The prince offered the monks 100
left for Mount Athos, to Ivir Monastery, and this talers (Austrian silver coin that circulated in the
is why he is supposed to have been Georgian; Romanian Principalities too) per year and 20 for
in 1660, he was appointed egumen to the the one who brought the holy relics, provided
metokion this monastery had in Moscow. After that they were no longer taken from one place
seven years he must have retired to Ivir, because to another for charity, not to be lost, but „to be
from 1670-1671 he was entrusted the leadership taken to a certain place where piety requires,
of Radu Voda Monastery of Bucharest. The and only in hard times to be taken out, when
prince imposed him as metropolitan, but he no other solution can be found”[27]. This piece
operated only for a few months. We insist on of information leads us to the conclusion that
metropolitan Varlaam to mention that from these relics were brought by the Athonite monks
1666-1668 he travels to Russia, after he had for the Romanian faithful who wanted to pray
retired from the abbacy of Cozia Monastery. to them to get financial support on behalf of
He visited Kiev and Moscow during his journey, whoever they could. In this context, Constantine
at a time when the religious turmoil was very Brancoveanu volunteered, as we can see, to pay
serious in Russia. According to the pilgrims’ this money, lest the relics be moved from one
habit, he brought several holy vessels and books place to another[28].
from this journey, which he gave, later on, to
the churches he had founded. The building of An important role in the inner pilgrimage
the stone church at Trivale skete is related to was played by Tismana Monastery in regard
metropolitan Varlaam. In fact, he showed great to life of Saint Nicodim, which is interestingly
care for this skete, this one having been an presented in the travel notes of Paul of
offering that he gave after his pilgrimage to the Alep, who visited the monastery in 1649. The
Holy Places in 1682. On 15 November 1702, the importance the monastery acquired was due to
skete was dedicated to Cozia Monastery, after it the aid provided by Matei Basarab, who raised it
had been endowed with some estates. Varlaam to the rank of Great Lavra of the country, with
was the founder of Turnu Monastery (1676) and priority of the egumen in the protocol of the
of Fedelesoiu skete (1673), a construction begun council, after metropolitan and bishops. The
by Lady Maria, wife of Prince Grigore Ghica, and prince rebuilt the fortifications and built a chapel
finished by him after the dethronement of the at Tismana. Paisie of Jerusalem confirmed the
prince. Prince Constantine Brancoveanu and gestures of the prince through a patriarchal
metropolitan Varlaam [26] are painted inside decree, strengthening the independence of the
the church. monastery (3 June 648), a gesture legalised by
the will of Saint Nicodim. Although the relics of
The pilgrimage was present in Wallachia the saint are not here, the monastery becomes a
through the processions of the holy relics too, locus sanctus through a series of relics related to
which the Greek monks organised sometimes. the life of the saint: the cave where he lived, the
In 1691, Brancoveanu wrote to the egumen of objects that belonged to him, such as the cloak,
the Great Lavra, asking him to send him the stole, the Gospel book he wrote by hand and
head of Saint Mihail the Confessor, known for the shrine shaped censer. Presented with the
his miracles, to rid the country of the locusts’ Gospel in his hand, Nicodim seems a victorious
invasion. The prince confirmed the amount of missionary priest of the 17th century fighting
6000 asprons (Turkish silver coin circulating in against the Catholic and Calvin propaganda[29].
the Romanian Principalities from the 15th – 19th The importance of Tismana Monastery is proved
centuries) to the monastery as a reward, covered by the election of abbot Stefan as metropolitan,
in silver the hand of Saint John Chrysostom, and at the time of Matei Basarab’s rule.
had the relics of Saint Mihail put in a beautifully
adorned shrine. In 1696 he continued his The pilgrimage to Tismana Monastery is
donation of 6000 asprons, plus 300, given to exceeded only by the presence of the relics of
those who came to get the financial aid. In Saint Filofteia from Curtea de Arges, similar
1713, Hotarani Monastery received a decree in veneration with those of Pious Parascheva

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from Iasi, received by Vasile Lupu as present How should religious tourism be in this time
and thanksgiving for his great generosity to when the peoples experience a loss of identity
the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The two women and of religious faith?
saints benefit of the veneration of the Romanian
faithful more than Saint John from Suceava, Saint
Gregory the Decapolite or Saint Nicodim from Bibliography:
Tismana did before. They represent, through
their statute of saints of charity, through their A. Sources:
avoiding the world and care for the poor, just the Arhivele Naţionale Istorice Centrale, fond
society which accepted them. Besides the relics Mănăstirea Cotroceni, XVII/37.
of these saints, the relics of some other saints
were brought to the Romanian Principalities Brancovici, Gheorghe, Romanian Chronicle
as presents and thanksgiving of the Eastern (Cronica românească), edit. by Damaschin Mioc
Patriarchates for the gifts received on behalf of and Marieta Adam Chiper, Bucharest: Academiei
the Romanian princes. The saints came down Publishing House, 1987.
from the church frescoes and made themselves Hurmuzaki, E., N. Iorga, Greek Documents
present through their relics which the faithful on the History of the Romanians (Documente
could venerate and touch. The veneration of greceşti privitoare la istoria românilor), vol XIV/1,
Pious Parascheva from Iasi spread to Wallachia Bucharest, 1915.
where Lady Balasa, wife of Constantin Serban
built a church and an old people’s home for Wallachian Chroniclers (Cronicari munteni)
poor, the first of this kind in Muntenia. Churches vol. I, edit. by Mihai Gregorian. Bucharest:
are built having her as saint patron. In 1692, Publishing House for Literature, 1961.
the Religious services of Saint Paraschevi the
New and of Saint Gregory the Decapolite were B. Works of speciality:
printed in the Greek language, drafted by Meletie
Syrigul[30]. Barbu, Violeta, Purgatory of the missionaries.
Counter-reform in the Romanian Principalities
The inclusion of these saints into the in the 17th century (Purgatoriul misionarilor.
dedications of the churches and monasteries Contrareforma în Ţările Române în secolul al XVII-
reflects a growth of the rite of the veneration lea). Bucharest: Academiei Publishing House,
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The monasteries that hosted them became loca in the Christian Antiquity” (“Peregrinatio” la
sacra, destinations of the Romanian pilgrims Muntele Sinai în antichitatea creştină). Anuarul
hoping that the intercessions of the saints would Facultăţii de Teologie Ortodoxă Bucureşti, V
change their lives. (2005) 247-263.

Is today’s pilgrimage only tourism in which Bulat, G. Toma, “Ioan Comnen „iatro
marketing plays an important part? Aren’t - philosopher”, professor at the Princely
certain places of pilgrimage cultivated because Academy and metropolitan of Dristrei” (Ioan
they are a craze in our time? If a journey to the Comnen „iatro-filosoful”, profesor la Academia
holy places of Christianity used to bring a change domnească şi mitropolit al Dristrei (†1719).
into the pilgrim’s soul too in the beginning, is Biserica Ortodoxă Română, LXXXIV (1966), no.
such an inner transformation still possible for 3-4, 356-368.
the modern man overruled by laziness and Cristea, Letiţia Mirela, Relations of Wallachia
comfort? I think the modern pilgrimage hides a with Mount Athos in the 17th -19th centuries.
financial aspect to a great extent, having been Case of Mihai Voda Monastery (Relaţiile Ţării
promoted by many tourism firms focused only Româneaşti cu Muntela Athos în secolele XVII-
on profit. Has pilgrimage become only a business XIX. Cazul Mănăstirii Mihai Vodă), Bucharest,
for some people and a simple journey of culture 2011.
and education for the so called modern pilgrims?
Ielciu, Ioan Mircea, “Constantimople,

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Rome and Marseille: important stages of the Wallachia (1668-1672; 1679-1708)” (Mitropolitul
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CONFERENCES & JOURNAL
t h e Di a l ogue b et ween   Sci en c e a n d  Th eol ogy

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