During the reign of Voivode Ștefan Mihai Racoviță (March 1764 – September 1765), a devastating plague spread, having originated in Constantinople and engulfing the whole of Bucharest. Thousands of people were then being struck down by the disease every day. The authorities of the time, seeing the fear that had gripped the people, decided that only through the intercession and help of the Good Lord could they be delivered from this disease.
Among the monasteries blessed by God is Bistrița Monastery in Vâlcea County, where, ever since its foundation, the miracle-working relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite have been preserved, filled with God’s grace and blessing; here, in an unending procession throughout the ages, princes, nobles and common folk have come to worship, bearing rich gifts. In times of drought or terrible disease (cholera, the plague), these were carried throughout the country for the deliverance of the faithful people.
Thus, the prince and the boyars proposed to Metropolitan Gregory II that the holy relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite be brought to Bucharest from the Holy Monastery of Bistrița in Vâlcea. These had been brought here from Serbia by Banu Barbu Craiovescu1.
Counted amongst the country’s miracle-working holy relics and revered with all the Christian piety of the people, they have been preserved intact. The distinguished scholar Archimandrite Veniamin Micle notes that ‘in the year 1765, Grigorie II (1760–1787), Metropolitan of Wallachia, came to Bistrița Monastery, accompanied by other hierarchs and numerous archimandrites, organising the first procession with the relics of Saint Gregory to Bucharest, where the plague, brought from Constantinople, was raging”2. The Bishop of Râmnic blessed this request and, with great pomp, together with the monks of Bistrița Monastery and a great crowd of people, they lifted the holy relics, which rested in a silver coffin, and set off for Bucharest.
Once brought to Bucharest, on Sunday, 1 May 1765, the holy relics were placed in a place of veneration in the Metropolitan Church, where, after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, a procession took place led by Grigorie II, Metropolitan of Wallachia, in which the foreign hierarchs who were in Bucharest at that time also took part, namely: Nicodim of Sardis (Lydia)3, Matthew of Hieropolis (Palestine)4, Seraphim of Iliopolis (Galatia, Asia Minor)5, Chrysanthus, Bishop of Greveni (Serbia)6, Parthenius of Râmnic, Raphael, the proinos of Buzău, Neophytus of Cerven (Bulgaria)7, Mitrofan of Drinopolis (Drinovar, now in Serbia), along with a host of abbots and priests. The prince also took part in the procession; together with the hierarchs and the faithful, they set out from the metropolitan see, passing by the estates of the Brâncoveni boyars on their way to Livadia Domnească, 8 where a service was held to bless the faithful present. From there, they entered the Royal Court,9 then proceeded with the holy relics along Bărbierilor Lane,10 along the Great Lane of the Șălarilor, past Șerban Vodă’s Inn and the Holy Stavropoleos Monastery, along St John’s Lane,11 then crossed the Dâmbovița River to ascend to the Metropolitan See, where they placed the holy relics, full of grace, for great veneration before the Holy Altar, in the main choir, praising and “the whole crowd gave thanks for such a great gift as this which God has bestowed upon mankind, whilst we all placed our hope in the Saint’s prayers, that both we and the whole country might be relieved of the hardships we face; and the Lord will purify the land of His people’12.
From the day of this procession, the plague began to subside, and Bucharest was finally delivered from this terrible epidemic.
The procession held in Bucharest on 1 May 1765 was recorded and described in a charter issued by Prince Ștefan Racoviță on 23 May of the same year13. At that time, whenever a great calamity befell the country, the holy relics were requested to be carried in procession as a last hope of deliverance, and when the calamity was averted, as a token of gratitude, many offerings were bestowed upon the Saint14. Thus, the prince granted, by means of a charter, privileges to the Holy Monastery of Bistrița in Vâlcea, stating, amongst other things:
“For this reason, and because my reign has been granted such great honour, in addition to all the devotion we have for the Saint, we recognise our duty towards his sanctuary; therefore, by the great mercy of God who has honoured us with the high office of ruling this land, through this honourable and well-drafted charter of my reign, I hereby grant and decree as Lord; even though the holy monastery of Bistrița, in accordance with its established practice of providing a stipend to the teachers and the doctor in Craiova, had previously excluded this from the treasury’s levies. But I, in my mercy, have lifted this salary payment as well, so that it may be entirely free and exempt from all the treasury’s levies. 15 So that even if, at some point, other exempt monasteries were to make contributions, this one should not be disadvantaged in any way (and when other abbots give their accounts, the abbot of this holy monastery shall also give his account).
Only let the fathers there, through the intercession of the Saint, pray to the merciful God at all times for the welfare and prosperity of this country. And apart from the time when it has been decided that the Holy Relics are to arrive, whenever there should be a time of need such as this (God forbid) and they should write to them from here, they shall immediately, with due honour, bring the Saint’s relics here. For this very purpose, this act of mercy was undertaken so that the monastery and the fathers might be assisted in their needs, and so that, with the arrival of the Saint, the people might be helped in their struggles. As for the arrival of the Holy Relics, it has been decided as follows: after His Holiness Bishop Anastasis has performed the service at the Holy Bishopric, on the third day of Holy Week he is to go to Bistrița Monastery, collect the Holy Relics and, with phvala (praise, ceremonial pomp) described above, bring them here for the blessing of the people, and remain here until Ispas; and upon His Holiness’s return to the Bishopric, he shall also collect the Holy Relics and carry them with honour to his monastery16. And should anyone attempt to cause the Holy Relics to remain here permanently, such a person shall, through His Holiness the Metropolitan of the land, Chir Grigore, and through all the bishops named above, we shall subject them to a terrible curse and to the excommunication of the bishops, as they shall have the Saint here as an adversary in life and as an accuser of their soul in the hereafter”.17
A year later, the new Prince, Scarlat Grigore Ghica, reaffirmed this decision; however, as Arnota Monastery—which was supposed to pay the doctor and teacher from Craiova instead of Bistrița— along with several other monasteries, lacked the funds, he compelled the abbot of Bistrița to pay 90 thalers until the money from Arnota could be raised.
On 28 September 1767, Alexandru Scarlat Ghica, realising that Ștefan Racoviță’s wish to have the Saint’s relics brought to Bucharest every year could not be fulfilled, “as this was a burden and so as not to subject the monastery to taxation”, granted him the privilege of paying 300 thalers annually to a teacher in Craiova and of being exempt from all other obligations.
In the Orthodox tradition, the procession with holy relics has profound spiritual, liturgical and communal significance, going beyond a mere outward display. It represents a public profession of faith, bringing holiness into everyday life and offering the faithful the opportunity to venerate the holy relics because they truly feel, in a marvellous way, the Saint’s protection.
- 1
Alex. Lepădatu, ‘A religious procession in Bucharest in 1765’ in The Romanian Orthodox Church, vol. XXVIII (1904), no. 1, p. 57; Gabriela Bordeianu, ‘Popular Religiosity in Bucharest’, in Materials on History and Museography, Vol. XIII (1999), p. 74.
- 2
Archimandrite Veniamin Micle, Bistrița Olteană Monastery, Holy Monastery of Bistrița, Diocese of Râmnic, 1996, p. 20.
- 3
Which is in Bucharest. The Holy Register 1886, p. 174.
- 4
Elected to the Metropolis of Bucharest. The Holy Register, p. 158.
- 5
It was in Bucharest in 1757. The Holy Register, p. 171.
- 6
He was in Bucharest in 1749. The Holy Register, p. 158.
- 7
He was also elected in Bucharest on 13 November 1752. The Holy Register, p. 161. This election, like that of Matthew of Hieropolis, took place in Bucharest, and they were ordained by Neophytus, Metropolitan of Wallachia, who acted as a second Patriarch in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Holy Register, p. 163.
- 8
Which is situated on the right bank of the Dâmbovița, at the foot of the Metropolitan Cathedral.
- 9
At its current location in St Anthony’s Square, extending to the neighbouring streets: Smârdan, Lipscani, Moșilor and Șerban Vodă.
- 10
“which must run along the future lane of the ‘boieangi’, now known as Bărăției Street”, states G. D. Florescu, ‘The route taken by the religious procession of the relics of St Gregory in Bucharest, 1765’ in the Bulletin of the ‘Old Bucharest’ Historical and Archaeological Society, Volumes I–V (1930–1934), p. 117.
- 11
Today, the Savings and Deposits Bank (CEC).
- 12
Alex. Lepadatu, op. cit., p. 63.
- 13
Library of the Romanian Academy, No. 30/XLEV, large parchment.
- 14
Dragoș P. Petroșanu, ‘Saint Gregory the Decapolite of Bistrița–Vâlcea Monastery’ in The Romanian Orthodox Church, vol. LIX (1941), no. 11–12, p. 690.
- 15
Constantin Mihai Racoviță had decreed, by his charter dated 30 July 1763 (original: Romanian Academy, 28/XCIV), that the teachers at the Greek and Slavonic schools, as well as the town doctor of Craiova, should be paid from the revenues of the holy monasteries of Bistrița and Arnota.
- 16
Dragoș P. Petroșanu, op. cit., p. 692.
- 17
Ibid.