The 200-year-old church has stood semi-ruined for decades, but locals have tried to maintain some order in the building.
Metropolitan Onuphry was concelebrated by 19 brother hierarchs, including Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech and Bishop Michael of Constantia from the Bulgarian Church and Bishop Philaret of Căpriana from the Moldovan Church.
The celebration comes as the UOC maintains its Orthodox faith despite facing a state persecution campaign targeting the Church as an institution and Met. Onuphry along with several other hierarchs and clerics personally.
Multiple Romanian Orthodox hierarchs and clergy gathered at Brâncoveanu (Sâmbăta de Sus) Monastery in Brașov County on Saturday, August 16, for the local proclamation of the canonization of St. Serafim the Long-Suffering of Sâmbăta de Sus.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine has issued a forceful response to a government directive demanding that the Kiev Metropolia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church produce more proof of its complete severance of all ties with the Russian Orthodox Church by August 18, calling the order a “gross interference” in Church affairs that violates both Ukrainian and international law.