In Paris, an Exhibition of Oil Portraits Entitled “Holy Women Recently Canonised in the Romanian Orthodox Church”, by Artist Claudiu Macari
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe, the Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Godoncourt, in partnership with the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael in Paris, has organised an art exhibition entitled “Holy Women Recently Canonised in the Romanian Orthodox Church”.
The oil portraits, painted by the young artist Claudiu Macari, are on display in one of the cathedral’s halls in Paris from 8 November to 7 December 2026. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge.
The event marks the culmination of several months of artistic work and dedication, carried out both at the Monastery of Godoncourt and in the artist’s own studio.
Claudiu Macari graduated from the “Dumitru Stăniloae” Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Iași, specialising in Sacred Art. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the same faculty.
Together with several fellow students, the young artist is taking part in the creation of the iconographic project “Saints of France from the First Centuries of Christianity” at the Monastery of Godoncourt. The project is organised by the monastery in partnership with the Sacred Art Department of the “Dumitru Stăniloae” Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Iași.
The portraits of the sixteen Romanian Holy Women were commissioned by Mother Doroteea, Abbess of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Godoncourt. They were created to be presented as part of a series of travelling conferences entitled “Faces of the New Romanian Saints”, delivered by Mother Doroteea in Romanian Orthodox parishes throughout Western Europe. These cultural and spiritual gatherings take place in the context of 2026, proclaimed by the Romanian Patriarchate as the “Homage Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family and the Commemorative Year of the Holy Women in the Church Calendar (Myrrh-bearing Women, Martyrs, Monastics, Wives and Mothers)”.
The Paris exhibition took shape following the encouragement of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph. In March, after having the opportunity to see some of the portraits painted by Claudiu Macari, the hierarch encouraged the young artist to bring the entire collection to the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral in Paris on the occasion of its patronal feast. The aim was to organise a major exhibition that could be enjoyed by the public over an extended period.
Thus, in the distinguished setting of the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral in Paris, the sixteen portraits offer the faithful and visitors an opportunity to discover the faces of women who bore witness to their faith in Christ through their lives, prayer, sacrifice and steadfastness.
The exhibition is not only an opportunity to encounter contemporary religious painting, but also a moment to remember and honour the Romanian Holy Women, whose lives and witness of faith remain examples of Christian living for generations today.
The exhibition can be visited at the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Paris until 7 December 2026. Admission is free.
The works on display have also attracted considerable interest from young members of the Nepsis France Association, who wished to learn more about each of the saints depicted in the portraits painted by Claudiu Macari.
At their request, information about the life and witness of each saint will be published throughout the exhibition on the NEPSIS FRANCE Instagram page, as well as on the Facebook page of the Monastery of Godoncourt, Monastère Godoncourt. This initiative aims to make the faces and biographies of the newly canonised Romanian saints better known, particularly among younger generations.
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