The coat of arms of the municipality of Bucharest will be changed according to the draft decision that the General Council of the capital will discuss at the meeting on January 31.

Pilgrimage to the relics of Saint Demetrius the New, the patron saint of BucharestPhoto: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea

According to the approval report, the depiction of the icon of Saint Demetrius the New for the coat of arms of the capital “has been wrongly chosen since 1864, as confirmed by the Romanian Orthodox Church, as well as by many historians and heraldry experts. “.

Thus, the coat of arms of the Capital now depicts the symbolism of the holy great martyr Demetrius the Peacemaker, entered in the calendar on October 26, a military man who was martyred in Thessaloniki in 303, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, and not St. Demetrius the New, the patron saint of Bucharest. the day of which falls on October 27.

“Saint Demetrius the New, the patron saint of Bucharest, is part of the identity of the Romanian capital, which has deep historical and spiritual significance. The historical and spiritual significance of the patron saint of Bucharest has been recognized by the Orthodox Church since his holy relics were brought to Wallachia on July 13, 1774,” the document states.

According to him, the error was not corrected in the Decision of the General Council 76/1993, and the coat of arms still depicts the icon of the Holy Martyr Demetrius, the Source of Peace, and not the Pious Demetrius the New. .

The new coat of arms of Bucharest:

“We note that in this endeavor we are guided by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the goal of this initiative is to place Saint Demetrius the New, the protector of Bucharest, on the coat of arms. Other elements of the Capital’s identity – heraldry, symbols, messages – remain unchanged as adopted by HCGMB 76/1993. In this regard, on September 13, 2023, the Patriarch of the BOR sent to the address registered under n. 152805 stating that on August 3, 2023, the Commission of Ecclesiastical Painting of the Romanian Patriarchate approved the model of the icon, which will depict the pious Saint Demetrius the New, for inclusion in the coat of arms of the Municipality of Bucharest,” the document also states.

In 2024, it will be 250 years since the relics of Saint Demetrius the New were transferred to Bucharest. The initiator of the project was the vice-mayor of the capital Stelian Buyduveanu. (Agerpress)