Madrid, May 27, 2026
Photo: basilica.ro
Twenty hierarchs from Romania and the diaspora consecrated the diocesan Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple Cathedral in Madrid on Saturday, May 23.
The Divine Liturgy was presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina, with His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe and His Grace Bishop Timotei of Spain and Portugal among those concelebrating, reports the Basilica News Agency.
Representatives of the Romanian state and the Kingdom of Spain, diplomats and numerous faithful from Romanian Orthodox parishes across the Iberian Peninsula attended the event.
Photo: basilica.ro
The cathedral’s foundation stone was laid by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel in 2010.
“We rejoice together with the Lord in what He Himself has built,” Bp. Timotei said at the consecration. He recalled the words of the Psalmist David: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain,” saying that this verse “was fulfilled in the building of our cathedral in Madrid.”
In his sermon after the Gospel reading, Met. Teofan stressed the spiritual significance of a consecrated church and its role in community life.
“We give thanks to God glorified in the Trinity—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—for His work accomplished for the spiritual benefit of Orthodox Romanians in the capital of Spain, throughout the country and also in Portugal.”
Photo: basilica.ro
The Metropolitan explained that the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Mysteries transform the church into a “privileged sacred space, though not an exclusive one, for living according to the image of the Holy Trinity.”
Addressing Romanians living far from their homeland, Metropolitan Teofan emphasized the responsibility to preserve their faith and identity. “Whether in Romania or here, the most important thing is our relationship with God: preserving and confessing the faith, enduring trials, and cultivating a spirit of repentance.”
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