The venerable head of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer will be brought to Romania on Wednesday from Mount Athos by a delegation led by Archimandrite Alexios, on the occasion of the patronal feast of Pantocrator Monastery in Teleorman County.

For the first time in Romania, the holy relic will be placed for veneration at the monastery between April 22 and 28, the Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate reports.

According to the program, the consecration and inauguration of the 'Magdala' Library of Pantocrator Monastery will take place on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., followed by the official opening of the national symposium titled 'The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Mary Magdalene as a Model of Christian Womanhood and Service'.

Around 11:00 a.m., the Athonite delegation bearing the venerable head of the Holy Great Martyr George - commemorated on April 23 - will arrive in Romania. At approximately 14:30, the holy relic will reach Pantocrator Monastery, in the presence of His Holiness Galaction, Bishop of Alexandria and Teleorman, and Archimandrite Alexios, Abbot of Xenophontos Monastery on Mount Athos.

The relic will then be placed for veneration in the monastery's katholikon, after which an all-night vigil will be served in honor of the Holy Great Martyr George. The service will be officiated by His Grace Nectarie, Bishop of Ireland and Iceland. On Thursday, beginning at 08:00, the Akathist of the Holy Great Martyr George will be chanted, followed by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 09:00.

Pantocrator Monastery chose to bring the holy relics of the Great Martyr George because the saint's feast day falls close to the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers, when the monastery honors Saint Mary Magdalene, explained Archimandrite Serafim Baciu, eparchial vicar of the Diocese of Alexandria and Teleorman.

He recalled that the pilgrimage to the monastery on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers has become a tradition of more than a decade, drawing thousands of pilgrims from across the country who come to venerate both the monastery's own holy relics and those brought from various corners of the Christian world.

'This moment of bringing the relics of Saint George, precisely on his feast day, is an added joy for all who bear him as their heavenly protector. (...) Saint George is not merely a model from the past, but a model we still need today. Even now we need faith and dignity. He remains a perennial example,' the cleric said, as quoted by basilica.ro.

The Athonite Monastery of Xenophontos, whose abbot is Archimandrite Alexios, is placed under the protection of the Holy Great Martyr George.

Last year, Pantocrator Monastery brought to Romania the full-body relics of Saint Empress Helena, which very rarely leave the Venetian basilica where they are kept.

***
The Holy Great Martyr George, the Victory-Bearer, was the son of a martyr - his father having laid down his life for Christ. He lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284 - 305), first in Cappadocia and later in Palestine, where he settled with his mother, who possessed great estates in Caesarea of Palestine.

He entered the service of the Roman army and, through his valor and discipline, rose to the rank of commander.

In the year 303, Diocletian issued his first edict against the Christians, unleashing a fierce wave of arrests and tortures. Three further edicts followed between 303 and 305, intensifying the persecution.

Seeing the emperor's zeal against the faithful and discerning that the time had come for his own confession, Saint George resolved to proclaim Christ openly. He sold his gold, silver and garments, distributing them to the poor; the rest of his possessions in Palestine he ordered to be given away, and he set his slaves free.

Casting aside all earthly fear, the Saint stood before the multitude and rebuked the unjust decrees and lawless judgments against the Christians, confessing boldly that Christ alone is the true God.

He exhorted the emperor and those present either to acknowledge the truth and learn the true faith, or at least to cease troubling those who hold fast to it.

'How long, O Emperor, and you rulers and counselors, appointed to establish good laws and just judgments, will you stir up your wrath against the Christians and increase your madness by persecuting those who do no wrong? Why do you persecute and torment Christians with your paganism, compelling men who know the true faith to worship idols. Your idols are not gods! Do not deceive yourselves with lies. Jesus Christ alone is God, the only Lord, in the glory of God the Father. Either recognize the truth yourselves, or at least do not disturb with your madness those who have recognized it!' (Lives of the Saints)

Astonished by the courage of the young commander, the emperor remained speechless and signalled to one of his companions to respond. Calling the Saint nearer, the man asked who had emboldened him to speak so fearlessly. Saint George replied: 'The Truth!' When asked what this truth was, he answered: 'The Truth is Christ Himself, whom you persecute.' (Lives of the Saints)

Saint George was then arrested and subjected to cruel tortures, which he endured with steadfast prayer to Christ his God. The Lord healed his grievous wounds repeatedly, restoring him to perfect health to the amazement and dread of those who witnessed his torments. He was also forced to drink a deadly poison, which left him unharmed.

The patience of the Martyr and the power of his prayer wrought many wonders during his sufferings - even the raising of a dead man. These miracles moved several of those present to confess Christ, for which they too received a martyr's crown.

Empress Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, also confessed Christ and is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on April 21.

Enraged by her confession, Diocletian ordered that both the Saint and the Empress be beheaded. On the way to execution, the Empress, weakened by her sufferings, surrendered her soul to God. Saint George then bowed his head beneath the sword on April 23, 303. (Lives of the Saints)

***
Located in the town of Draganesti-Vlasca in Teleorman County, Pantocrator Monastery is dedicated to the Holy Myrrh-Bearer Mary Magdalene, Saint John the Theologian, and the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women. The monastic settlement was raised on the site of a former First World War hospital, which later served as a communal hospital before falling into decades of abandonment.

The construction of the church, the monastic cells and the summer altar became possible through the initiative and sacrifice of two young theologians - Archimandrites Sebastian Serdaru and Serafim Baciu - who embraced the monastic life in order to devote themselves entirely to God.

In 2012, with their own savings and with donations from the faithful, the two monks began building the chapel dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, completing it in record time. The chapel was consecrated in 2014, on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers. The refectory, kitchen and the summer altar dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord were consecrated the following year, in 2015.

With the blessing and support of His Holiness Galaction, Bishop of Alexandria and Teleorman, the two fathers succeeded in bringing to Draganesti-Vlasca a small portion of the holy relics of Saint Mary Magdalene from Rome. They were placed for veneration in a beautifully carved reliquary depicting scenes from the life of the saint.

Over time, the small chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene in the monastery courtyard proved insufficient for the thousands of pilgrims who attend the events held there. For this reason, the decision was made to build a larger church - the New Church. Construction began in 2015, and the frescoes were completed in 2019. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)