Romania has celebrated the 100th anniversary of St. Anne Monastery in Rohia, one of the country's best-known Orthodox monasteries, with a series of liturgical, academic, and cultural events honoring the monastery's history and its most renowned monk, writer Nicolae Steinhardt.

The centenary celebrations began with a thanksgiving service, followed by a symposium dedicated to the monastery's first century. Representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church, historians, and cultural figures highlighted Rohia's significance as a symbol of Romania's spiritual life and national heritage.

A memorial service was held in the monastery's cemetery for the monastery's founder, Fr. Nicolae Gherman, as well as for Monk Nicolae Steinhardt, whose 114th birth anniversary is being observed this year.

Later in the day, a separate conference explored Steinhardt's life, literary legacy, and spiritual writings. Organizers also presented a newly published book based on his personal diaries.

Founded in 1926, St. Anne Monastery gained international recognition largely through the life and work of Nicolae Steinhardt, one of Romania's most influential 20th-century writers, philosophers, and Orthodox Christian thinkers.

Born into a Jewish family, Steinhardt was arrested by Romania's communist authorities in 1960 after refusing to provide false testimony against friends. While imprisoned, he was baptized into the Orthodox Church. Following his release, he entered monastic life at Rohia Monastery, where he lived until his death in 1989.

Steinhardt is best known for *The Diary of Happiness* (*Jurnalul fericirii*), a work recounting his spiritual transformation and experiences in a communist prison. Today he is regarded as one of Romania's foremost cultural figures and one of the most respected Orthodox spiritual authors of the 20th century, with his writings translated into numerous European languages.

As part of the centenary program, the Nicolae Steinhardt Foundation and the commission preparing his canonization also held meetings. Meanwhile, the nearby Rohița Monastery hosted an exhibition and plein air workshop featuring prominent Romanian iconographers and artists, further highlighting the monastery's enduring contribution to the country's religious and cultural life.