#Catherine II

The article traces the history of the transfer of the relics of Saint Dimitrios the New to Bucharest on 13 July 1774, against the backdrop of the Russian military occupation and the plague epidemic, and examines the role of these relics in protecting the capital during times of crisis, from the processions of the 18th and 19th centuries through to the Covid-19 pandemic and the anniversary celebrations in 2024.

The pastoral work of Bishop Filaret of Râmnic (1780–1792) has been reconstructed on the basis of a register of decrees preserved at the Library of the Romanian Academy (call number cmlxxix/1-180), containing 180 documents from the years 1780–1783. The register reveals the hierarch’s concerns regarding the administration of church property, the issuing of certificates of ordination and spiritual guidance, the investigation of divorce cases, the organisation of processions with the Holy Relics, and the reconstruction of places of worship such as the Church of the Holy Archangels in Craiova.