Thieves steal Gospel and icons, set fire inside Brătășani church

On the night of 21–22 September 2026, thieves broke into the Orthodox church in the village of Brătășani (comuna Trivalea-Moșteni, Teleorman County, Romania), near the local police post. They stole the Gospel book, several icons, and the Holy Vessels used in the liturgy, then set fires in four places inside the building to cover their tracks. The fires smoldered locally and did not consume the wooden cross near the altar. A resident discovered the open church door while walking to the cemetery the next morning and raised the alarm. Teleorman county police were still on scene when Exploziv News 24 published. The village’s historic Orthodox church bears the dedication Sfântul Nicolae (monument code TR-II-m-B-14301).

Coordinates are the Wikipedia village pin for Brătășani, Teleorman (44.24083°N, 25.25889°E); Nominatim returned no place_of_worship pin. occurredOn uses 2026-09-21 as the start of the overnight window. Primary source: Exploziv News 24 (22 Sep 2026).