The Patriarch Of Romania Varnished The Exhibition Of Old Books And Liturgical Objects At Cotroceni Museum

On 16 November 2011, the exhibition of old books and liturgical objects dating from the 17th – 18th centuries was varnished: “For the benefit of the Christian People” – Culture and Spirituality in Wallachia. The items have been selected from the collections of the Romanian Patriarchate and of Cotroceni Museum and displayed for the first time in a museum space.

Present at the event, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church explained, as Trinitas Radio station informs us, the relationship between cult and culture promoted by the Cantacuzinos and Basarabs prince rulers in Wallachia.

“Both the Cantacuzinos and the Basarabs, prince rulers of Wallachia, showed us first of all piety, secondly love for country, and thirdly a synthesis between the Eastern spirituality and Western culture. The rulers of Wallachia from the 17th and 18th centuries, till the Phanariote rulings, had lots of Western counsellors and experts from the Christian West. All these promoters of the Romanian culture had the deep understanding of the relationship between cult and culture. Almost all the items are objects of rite meaning that the basis of our Romanian Christian culture is the cult. Cult is the promotion of our relationship with God the Creator, while culture shows our relations with nature and our fellow beings. Thus, the basis of culture is the cult because it is only in the relation with God-the- Creator that we see correctly and completely the value of the human person and of creation as nature.”

His Beatitude received the “Cotroceni 20” homage plaquette, from Mrs. Adina Rentea, director of Cotroceni Museum, made on the occasion of the anniversary of 20 years since opening Cotroceni Museum.

The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church offered, in his turn, the director of the Museum, several books published by the Romanian Patriarchate.

The exhibition will be open for the public till 23 January 2012.

Source: Romanian Patriarchate