The first five canonized Orthodox saints who died in the 21st century are Romanians, reports the website Basilica.ro in an article dedicated to the canonizations carried out by the Romanian Patriarchate. They are monks and nuns, two of whom were ascetics on Mount Athos. These are the Venerable Sofian of Antim, the Venerable Dionysius of Colchiu, the Venerable Petronius of Prodromos, as well as two women – the Venerable Antonina of Tismana and the Venerable Elisabeth of Passarea.
The Mount Athos monks St. Dionysius and St. Petronius were canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, while St. Sofian and the nuns Antonina and Elisabeth were glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church. The proposal for the canonization of the two Athosians was made by the Romanian Patriarch Daniel to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Romanian Patriarchate.
St. Sofian of the Antim Monastery was born in 1912. He took monastic vows at the age of 14 in the Rugi Monastery. He studied at the monastic seminary in Cernica and at the Academy of Arts in Bucharest. He became abbot of the Antim Monastery. He died in 2002, canonized in 2024. His memory is celebrated on September 16.
St. Dionysius (1909–2004), a native of Botoșani, became a monk at the age of 17 in Mount Athos, where he lived for 78 years as a hermit and clergyman in the cell “St. George – Colchiu”. Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2025, revered for his humility and wisdom. His memory is celebrated on May 11.
St. Petronii Tânase (1914–2011) was a graduate of the Neamț Monastery and graduated in theology in Bucharest. Abbot of the Prodromu Hermitage on Mount Athos from 1984 until his death. Canonized in 2025, revered for his humble and enlightened life. His memory is celebrated on February 24.
St. Antonina of Tismana was born on March 7, 1923. She was a nun “foolish for Christ” at the Tismana Monastery. During more than 50 years of monastic life in the monastery, she became known for the power of her prayer and her virtuous life. She is celebrated on December 23.
St. Elizabeth of Passarea is the youngest newly glorified saint. Schema-nun Elizabeth Lazar of the Passarea Monastery (1970–2014) was a hermit and ascetic, known for her prayer life and the spiritual gifts she received from God. She is celebrated for her gift of miracle-working. Born on May 7, 1970 in the village of Moldova-Sulica, Suceava County, Rodica Lazar embarked on the path of monasticism in her youth. At only 15 years old, in 1985, she entered the Passarea Monastery, where three years later she was tonsured a nun with the name Theodora. In 2003, Nun Theodora withdrew to Mount Dzumăleau, where she led a hermit’s life in solitude and strict ascetic asceticism. In 2007, she accepted the great schema and received the name Elizabeth. She reposed in the Lord on June 6, 2014. Her memory is celebrated on June 5. There are already churches that bear her name, and her icon was also placed in the newly consecrated national cathedral of Romania.
The two saints are part of the 16 women saints that the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church canonized in July 2025. That year, 16 new martyrs and confessors were also canonized.
We acknowledge The European Times for the information.
