Sunday morning, His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania officiated the consecration ceremony of the Romanian People’s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest.
The idea to build the Romanian People’s Salvation Cathedral was launched right after Romania gained its state independence in 1877 but became reality 130 years later during the stewardship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
Consecration ceremony
The two patriarchs arrived at the Cathedral at 8.45 am to first consecrate the Holy Altar and bless the mosaic iconostasis and then concelebrate at the Divine Liturgy together with tens of other hierarchs.
According to church tradition, the consecration service began outside the building.
The Cathedral was anointed with the Holy and Great Myrrh and sprinkled with Holy Water.
Next, the bishops entered the Sanctuary, carrying the Paten with the Holy relics.
Uncovering the Paten, the two patriarchs placed the Holy Relics in a small gold box.
The two Orthodox Primates placed the gold box containing the Holy Relics into a special cavity in the altar.
In order to seal them permanently they poured wax over them.
Usually the wax contains many sweet smelling and fragrant spices, which were used by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to anoint the Body of Christ in preparation for burial.
The Holy Altar represents the Tomb in which our Lord’s body was placed. All of this takes place during the reading of Psalm 145.