Premier Victor Ponta attending anniversary celebration of Brancoveanu martyrs

Premier Victor Ponta attends today at the 'St. George the New' Church in downtown Bucharest the religious commemorative ceremony marking 300 years since the martyr death of Prince Constantin Brancoveanu (1654 - 1714) and his four sons.

Also attending are Deputy Prime Ministers Gabriel Oprea and Daniel Constantin, Minister of Justice Robert Cazanciuc, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Valeriu Zgonea, Minister of Education Remus Pricopie and Minister of Heath Nicolae Banicioiu.

On Saturday morning, Patriarch Daniel and a retinue of bishops consecrated the new painting and blessed the restoration works at the 'St. George the New' Church which was built by the martyr ruler and where his relics are being kept.

The leader of the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy on a platform built especially for this event near the church, surrounded by a group of Romanian bishops and senior clergy — delegates of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Orthodox Church of Georgia, which were the recipients of Brancoveanu's donations in his lifetime.

A crowd of thousands also follows the celebrations.

The year 2014 was declared "Brancoveanu Year" to mark the 300th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Brancoveni, with the dedicated events scheduled under the National Program "2014 — Brancoveanu Commemorative Year" unfolding under the high patronage of the Prime Minister. AGERPRES