Moaştele Sfântului Dumitru
The Relics of Saint Demetrius
The
relics of Saint Demetrius (XII-XIIIth century),
which lie in the Patriarchal Cathedral encased in a
fine silver coffin, were brought from the Bulgarian
village of Basarab by the Russian General Solticov
during the war of 1769-1774. When the Russians left
Bucharest, a pious citizen, Hagi Demetris, begged
the General to leave the venerated relics in the
cathedral.
The relics of Saint Demetrius, the protector of the
city of Bucharest, are taken in a solemn procession
around the cathedral in times of drought while
intercessory prayers for rain are offered.
Also, each year, on 27 October the Saint is
celebrated and his relics are put on display outside
the Cathedral. On this occasion tens or maybe
hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come from all over
the country to celebrate him.
The image is taken on the Patriarchal Hill and
catches the procession of carrying the relics. The
silver coffin is being held by consecrated persons
and accompanied by cult objects. Again, the
photographer has come close enough, so there are at
least three pairs of eyes that have caught the act
of taking the photo.
