Verona, Italy, September 28, 2026
Photo: roarch.org.uk
Six hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church consecrated the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet in Verona, Italy, on Saturday, September 26, marking the culmination of decades of work by the local Romanian community.
The consecration service was presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of Western and Southern Europe, with the concelebration of five other Romanian hierarchs serving in Western Europe, along with a large number of priests and deacons, reports the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
During the service, Metropolitan Joseph awarded the parish priest, Fr. Gabor Codrea, the Metropolitan Cross, First Class, for his pastoral dedication and his role in building the church and organizing the parish community. His wife received the Metropolitan Cross for the Laity, and members of the Parish Council and Parish Committee who took part in the church’s construction and decoration received Episcopal Certificates of Appreciation.
The consecration drew a large crowd of faithful along with representatives of the Romanian and Italian governments, diplomatic and consular officials, and representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. After the service, men and women in attendance were given the blessing to enter the altar and venerate the altar table.
Photo: roarch.org.uk
The church’s frescoes reflect a Christocentric iconographic program intended to bridge Romanian Orthodox spirituality with the Christian heritage of Verona and Western Europe. Alongside saints of the Eastern Christian tradition, the frescoes depict St. Zeno, Sts. Firmus and Rusticus, St. Tusca and St. Teuteria—saints associated with Verona and the Christian West.
Fr. Gabor said the community wanted the iconography to show that the Romanian presence in Verona isn’t isolated, but is part of the natural history, culture, and spiritual heritage of the area.
The parish was established in 2000 to serve Verona's growing Romanian community. In 2012, the parish acquired the 57,340-square-foot plot on which the complex now stands, and construction began the following year. His Grace Bishop Siluan of Italy laid and consecrated the church’s foundation stone on February 1, 2015. The church crypt and pastoral center opened in 2016, with finishing work and frescoes continuing in the years since. With the necessary work completed in recent years, the September 26 consecration caps 26 years of parish life and more than a decade of building the complex.
A report from the Romanian Orthodox Church’s Trinitas TV shows scenes from the service and the church:
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