More than 194,000 pilgrims have passed through the specially arranged canopy in the Metropolitan Courtyard of Iași to venerate the relics of Saint Parascheva and Saint Paisie of Sihăstria, according to organizers. The pilgrimage, which began on Thursday, October 8, is expected to draw up to 300,000 faithful by its conclusion on October 15, authorities say, buoyed by favorable weather.
The relics of Saint Paisie were brought from Sihăstria Monastery on Wednesday evening and welcomed at the Metropolitan Cathedral by dozens of priests. The following morning, both reliquaries were carried in procession and placed in the canopy prepared for pilgrims. Saint Paisie's relics will remain beside those of Saint Parascheva throughout the celebrations, offering the faithful a rare opportunity to venerate two revered figures of Romanian Orthodoxy at the same site.
Authorities have taken extensive measures to manage the large crowds. A single access corridor has been established, running from the Metropolitan Cathedral through several central streets to Bulevardul Regele Ferdinand I, with an extension onto Bulevardul Regele Mihai I if needed. Approximately 160 buses carrying some 8,000 pilgrims from Voluntari, Ilfov County, are expected, and they will be parked on a boulevard near the cathedral. Streets around the cathedral will be closed to traffic for a week, and queues of several kilometers are anticipated during peak periods.
Priests, volunteers, and law enforcement will be present along the pilgrim route to provide support and guidance. The Jandarmeria has urged participants to be patient and to follow access rules, recommending appropriate clothing for the temperatures and preparation for several hours of waiting. The central moment of the pilgrimage will be October 14, the feast day of Saint Parascheva, when the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m. on a podium erected on the Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt pedestrian avenue, in front of the cathedral's altar.
The reliquary will remain in the cathedral courtyard until October 15, after which it will be returned inside the church. The pilgrimage is one of the largest religious events in Romania, drawing believers from across the country and beyond to Iași, which for this period becomes the spiritual capital of the nation. The event reflects the enduring importance of relic veneration in Orthodox Christian practice and the deep cultural roots of pilgrimage in Romanian society.