The historical Anglican Church in Bucharest will host a screening of the documentary film ‘Marie, Heart of Romania,’ the British embassy said on Monday.
This event is part of the Anglican Church of the Resurrection’s celebrations marking 100 years since Queen Marie of Romania and her husband King Ferdinand I were crowned in the city of Alba-Iulia in 1922.
After the screening there will be the opportunity for Q&A with one of the film’s producers, Dan Draghicescu from the Chainsaw Film Productions company, the embassy said in a release sent to Universul.net.
Born into the British royal family, Queen Marie was a key figure in modern Romanian history, described as ‘The Last Romantic’ by her biographer Hannah Pakula. She was also an important supporter and regular attendee of the Church of the Resurrection.
The screening takes place exactly 87 years since Queen Marie had attended the Church for a memorial service in honour of her cousin King George V.
The embassy said it was „a unique opportunity to learn more about her and her legacy, as well as to support the Anglican Church, a cultural landmark in Bucharest.”
Queen Marie spent 20 years fundraising to build the church which was designed by celebrated Romanian architect Victor Stefanescu. Red bricks were specially imported from Britain to give the building a distinctive „British feel.”
The foundation stone was laid in 1914 as World War I broke out and the first church service was celebrated on April 4, 2020 which was Easter Day.
In its 102-year history, the church was closed during the German occupation of Bucharest in World War II and during the coronavirus pandemic.
Queen Marie was „one of the most fascinating crowned heads of Europe and one of the most extraordinary and independent women of our century,” her 1984 biography says.
„The granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Tzar Alexander II of Russia, at seventeen Marie left the glittering courts of Western Europe to marry the Crown Prince of Romania. Drawing upon the young queen’s diaries and letters, the author describes her struggle to gain an independent footing in the male dominated court of Romania, her early years as one of the most admired beauties of Europe, and the decisive period during World War I when she all but ran the Romanian Government.”
She died in 1938 in Pelisor Castle and the box containing her heart was moved from the National History Museum in Bucharest to the small castle in the Carpathian mountains in 2015.
Details on the screening.
Everyone is welcome; an entrance donation of 50 RON is recommended, no reservations are required. For questions or more information, please email to [email protected];
The film is subtitled in English and Romanian, and the event will be held in English;
Event Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/5796742393738384/;
A trailer for the film can be viewed at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KBhL3R097oY.
