The Act of Sanctification of the Cathedral of Salvation of the Nation or the National Cathedral, read after the official service of November 25, 2018, by the Bishop Varlaam Ploiesteanu, signed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch Daniel and all other serving hierarchs:

“In the Centenary 2018, the altar of the Cathedral of Salvation of the Nation or the National Cathedral was celebrated with the Father’s wishes, with the work of the Son and with the Holy Spirit, with the patrons of the Ascension of the Lord (Heroes’ Day) and the Apostle Andrew the Apostle, the first called, Protector of Romania.
The need to build a National Cathedral in Bucharest was felt especially after the Independence War of 1877-1878. And after the proclamation of Romania as a Kingdom, in 1881, King Carol I of Romania submitted to the Legislative Chamber, in 1884, a draft law on the construction of a Christian Orthodox Cathedral in Bucharest.
Although, initially, the Parliament provided 5% of the country’s budget for the construction of this place of worship, this fund was not realized, which made a public subscription for the collection of funds in 1900, interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War 1914-1918).
After the Great Union of 1918, the necessity of raising a cathedral in the capital of the country, as gratitude to God for the accomplishment of the completed Romania, was supported both by the primate metropolitan Miron Cristea and by King Ferdinand (1920).
Thus, after the establishment of the Romanian Patriarchate in 1925, there were numerous discussions on the location of the future cathedral and several architectural projects were proposed.
Therefore, on May 11, 1929, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Miron Cristea, performed the sanctification service at the foot of the Metropolitan Hill, an event attended by members of the Regency, the Government, Church servants, officers and a multitude of believers. All efforts, however, have not been successful because of the economic crisis, the outbreak of the Second World War and then the establishment of the communist regime.
After 1990, the Patriarch Teoctist Arăpasu Patriarch Teoctist reiterated the project of the Cathedral, although in 1999 he consecrated the place from Unirii Square to the new Cathedral, he encountered numerous difficulties and hostilities through repeated movements of the Cathedral’s location in different areas of the Capital, until its definitive establishment in the Arsenal Hill (2005).
In fulfilling the wish of his forefathers, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, after his enthronement as Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church (September 30, 2007), resumed the project of the Salvation Cathedral and gave the foundation stone to the Arsenal Hill location November 29, 2007, on the eve of the feast of St. Apostle Andrew, the first called, Protector of Romania.
After many preparatory steps (2008-2010), the Romanian Patriarchate started the construction works at the end of 2010, carefully supervised by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, who had frequent consultations with specialists in the field and with the coordination team appointed by the Romanian Patriarchate, designers and executors of the works.
In order to sanctify the altar of the National Cathedral, in 2018, the Holy Mass, the stained glass windows of the Holy Altar, the mosaics of the catapet, the objects of worship, liturgical vestments, etc. were made. Also this year, on 3 September 2018, the Patriarch of Romania consecrated the six bells, manufactured in the Grassmayr workshops in Innsbruck, Austria, the largest bell dedicated to the Heroes, weighing 25 tons.
These works were carried out through a fruitful collaboration between the Romanian Patriarchate and the Romanian State authorities (the Romanian Government, the City Hall of Bucharest, other Mayoralties in the country and the country, and several county councils), as well as with the help of hierarchs, clergy, monks and believers laymen.
The service was carried out on Sunday, November 25, 2018, by His Holiness Bartolomeu I, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania and His Eminence Chrysostom, Metropolitan of Patra (Greece), together with a number of hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church and of other Orthodox Churches, priests and deacons, in the presence of representatives of the central and local state authorities, guests and many clergy and laity from the country and abroad.
Bless the Lord, the founders, the benefactors, the servants and the worshipers of this Holy Cathedral and all the Romanian people everywhere! “

The Chrysostom for the Sanctification of the Cathedral of Salvation of the Nation, written by King Ferdinand I on May 10, 1920:

strengthened our hearts and thoughts, leading us to succeed. Today, more than ever, we are obliged to glorify him with all our hearts, singing with us is God, understand nations and bend you, for with us is God.
But this song must resound in the Church of Salvation that we are obliged to raise in the capital of all the Romanians as a sign of thanks for the help of the Most High and as a symbol of the unity of the whole nation and eternal remembrance of those who have been left behind for the accomplishment of the completed Romania. And in this, serve our good ancestors. Let us be Stephen the Great, who, after taking Chilia, thanked God, the giver of victory, by raising the Putna Monastery, from where he took so much enhancing spirit in our time of restraint.
The parable of being the maker of our political unity 318 years ago, the mighty Mihai Voevod, whose hand departed from his sword in order to put a new and strong foundation stone to the Romanian Metropolis in Alba-Iulia in Transylvania as thanksgiving to the Most High for the victory of his righteous struggle. Let us be Matei Voevod Basarab, who sowed the land of the Land with divine places, as thanksgiving to the One for his help in defending his holy aspirations. And these churches worshiped the martyrs in the conscience of the righteous sacrifices of his men. Parable to be our whole line of ancestors, founders of divine lodges, for the benefits received from above.
Finally, let us be our late King Carol I, who united his thoughts with the old builders, bringing the miracles of Arges and Trei-Hierarchi to the new splendor. For the soul and sacrifice of the Plevna conquerors have added to the foundation and beauty of these altars of thanksgiving and glory to the Lord of all.
We, the Romanian people, had the happiness of leading the Land to the realization of the golden dream of the ancestors: its unity in one national state.
So the holy church, which we want to ascend in the memory of this brilliant event, is due to be a monument worthy of the great goal we have touched and the work of all the Romanians, as a symbol of the unity of nation and faith.
The whole nation has tightened its harsh arms to fulfill its precious national ideal: the whole nation ought to show gratitude to God, from whom all our gifts come, raising up a worship altar which we imagine as an adornment of the Romanian artistic thought.
And, for the happy incarnation of our thought and the canonical order, we ask the Most Holy Synod of the Ancestral Church, its high blessing, to begin preparations for the erection of this Holy Church.
And the Lord will reward those who love the good adornment of his house. ”
Bucharest
May 10, 1920
Ferdinand – The King of Romania