Bucharest, March 5, 2026
Photo: basilica.ro
The relics of three members of the royal Brâncoveanu family were uncovered on March 4, at the Church of St. George the New in Bucharest: those of St. Maria Brâncoveanu and two of her sons, the holy Martyrs Ștefan and Matei.
St. Maria was canonized by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church in July 2025, along with fifteen other Romanian women of holy life. The general proclamation of their canonization took place at the Patriarchal Cathedral on February 6. St. Maria’s husband, St. Constantin Brâncoveanu, and four of their sons had previously been canonized as martyrs.
St. Constantin was ruler of Wallachia from October 29, 1688 to March 24, 1714, when he was dethroned and captured by the Ottomans and transported to Istanbul together with his four sons, Constantin, Ștefan, Radu, and Matei, where he was tortured and eventually executed by decapitation together with his sons and his treasurer Ianache Vacarescu.
At the uncovering yesterday, the last memorial service for St. Maria was celebrated, along with the singing of the troparia and kontakia of the Brâncoveanu Martyrs and of St. Maria, reports the Basilica News Agency.
Photo: basilica.ro
His Grace Bishop Timotei, Vicar of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, described St. Lady Maria as “a shining example of living the faith,” pointing in particular to her patience, her bearing of the cross with what he called evangelical resignation, and her love of prayer, as evidenced in documents from the period after 1714.
The bishop also spoke of her continued generosity toward churches after the family’s ordeals, and recalled the path between Surpatele Monastery—where she built a church and spent much of her time after returning to Wallachia — and the nearby Dintr-un Lemn Monastery. That path, he said, has been remembered by monks and local people as the Lady’s Path, or the Path of Tears.
“Only God knows how many tears flowed in this family,” the bishop said.
Patriarchal Counselor Mihai Răzvan Clipici, a member of the Canonization Commission who also attended the service, compared St. Lady Maria’s life to that of the righteous Job. He noted that she had known both greatness and persecution and exile, had raised eleven children—four of whom were martyred alongside her husband—had founded churches, and had shown particular care for the spiritual life of the country her husband ruled. He also noted that despite her considerable wealth, she had used it for the benefit of many rather than for personal gain alone.
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