Several historic artifacts belonging to the Saint George New Church in Bucharest have been returned to the parish after being seized by the National Museum of Art of Romania during the communist era. According to basilica.ro, the artifacts include a chalice adorned with seraphim (circa 1750), a cross depicting the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ (1816), a diskos plate featuring saints and the Wallachian coat of arms (circa 1720), and two liturgical fans (ripidion) gifted to the church by Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu in 1709.

These items were confiscated by communist authorities in 1978. At the time, Father Gheorghe Didicescu, who served at Saint George New Church, documented the confiscation, stating, "I hand over these items against my conscience." His detailed record played a crucial role in the decades-long effort to recover the church's treasures.

After nearly six years of legal proceedings, the artifacts have been successfully restored to the church. They will be displayed in a secure museum case within the church's narthex, near the tomb of Martyr Constantin Brâncoveanu. Brâncoveanu, a Romanian ruler, was dethroned and tortured by the Ottomans in the early 18th century. The Romanian Orthodox Church canonized him as a saint in 1992, and he was added to the Russian Orthodox Church's calendar on March 7, 2018.

Photo: basilica.ro