I was selected at the 2nd ART  INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL  , Patras-GREECE, curator Panagiotis Milt.Zervas ; during the period 2-9 May 2010, I participated at  the 3rd International Symposium of painting. The artist Claudiu Victor GHEORGHIU painted during the symposium icon "ST.APOSTLE ANDREW, patron of ROMANIA ”, tempera on wood, 30x20 cm, trying to make as a bridge between Romania and Greece, knowing that the patron of Patras and Romania has received the crown of martyrdom, being crucified upside down in Patras, where his holy relics are on an X-shaped cross, and that the Orthodox Holy Synod of ROMANIA decided in May 1995 that the name ST.APOSTLE ANDREW be registered in the church calendar with the Red Cross and in 1997 proclaimed "patron of Romania. Also, the icon "ST.APOSTLE ANDREW ,the First called, patron of  ROMANIA, commits are crucified in Patras”, tempera on wood, 31.5 x24, 5 cm , will be part  soon of the Zervas collection .

 Note about ST. APOSTLE ANDREW, ROMANIA's spiritual patron.Source:newspaper Bucharest Herald, 30.11.2009

"Over 600,000 Romanians celebrate their name day on occasion of the celebration of Saint Andrew-30th of November, Romania's spiritual patron. Of the 620,625 Romanians who mark their name day, 307,940 are men and 312,685 are women, the  Interior Ministry announced.



According to historical and religious documents, Holy Apostle Andrew, brother of the Apostle Peter, is the one who preached Christianity on the present territory of Romania, and who baptized the first inhabitants on the western shore of the Black Sea. This explains how come the oldest diocese in Romania is that of Tomis, or today's Constanta.

According to Scripture, after Jesus's order to make known the Gospel to the world, Andrew, the first called to the apostleship, was sent to the Black Sea, and he preached Christianity in Dobrogea-the ancient Schytia Minor, Macedonia, Thrace and Constantinople.

Historical texts mention the fact that the Holy Apostle baptized Maximilia, sister of the famous persecutor of Christians, Egheat.

Her conversion to Christianity was considered an insult and Egheat's vengeance was terrible. St. Andrew the Apostle was nailed on the cross he bore with him, in the shape of an X, in Patras-Greece.

During torture, a major storm began, chasing away those who were witnessing the terrible scene. At the prayer of St. Andrew, the storm calmed down and martyr Andrew passed away, on the 30th, year 87 (after other sources 97), aged about 90 years.

Our country still shows signs of this saint's passage: the cave dwelling located in Casimcea Valley, another one in Basarabi-Murfatlar, the famous Fountain of St. Apostle Andrew at the Dervent Monastery – whose name is related to many miracles, but also the miracle working icon of the Virgin Mary painted by St. Luke the Apostle, brought by St. Andrew and found in the Church of Namaiesti Monastery, Arges County. "