Regular services were resumed in the church at Berislăveşti Monastery in Vâlcea, Romania, after 21 years. Previously, services were held only occasionally because of the danger of the collapse of the building, reports the Archdiocese of Râmnic.
Extensive restoration and conservation work on the historical ensemble began in 2015, which allowed for the reopening of the church. And after 6 years, the church iconography was blessed by Archbishop Varsanufie on the feast of the 3 Holy Hierarchs on January 30.
“The spiritual and cultural legacy of this church has created a real bridge between the work of the founders and the current generation, which has witnessed the restoration of this place of worship. The painting of this church, done at the end of the 18th century, represents the confession of the right faith expressed in color,” said Archbishop Varsanufie at the end of the blessing service.
During the Divine Liturgy, the Archbishop preached about the virtues of the Three Holy Hierarchs, mentioning “they were teachers of the right faith and hierarchs with saintly lives, who explained the Scriptures and wrote valuable books defending Orthodox dogmas and moral life, as well as codexes of canons which are normative to these days.”
“They are the faces of holiness, who through all their work and intercessions before the Most Holy Trinity have become the protectors of churches and numerous educational institutions and social movements whose activity was inspired by the model of their ministry.”
Berislăvești Monastery
The monastery was founded by boyar (nobleman) Alexandru Bucșănescu and it dates back to the 18th century.
It was burned down in 1788, during the wars between the Russians, the Austrians and the Ottoman Turks (1787, 1792). A document from 1797 mentioned there were only the “naked walls” left.
The site was also affected by the earthquakes in 1802, 1838, 1977 and 1986 and by the bombings during the two Wrold Wars.
Source: basilica.ro
