Safta Brâncoveanu


Safta Brâncoveanu was a Romanian noblewoman and philanthropist.

Biography

She was the daughter of Teodor Balș and Zoe Rosetti-Balș and married in 1793 to Grigore Brâncoveanu, lord of Craiova. She became famed as a great benefactor of hospitals, monasteries, churches and charitable projects. After being widowed in 1832, she withdrew with her mother to Văratec Monastery, where she became a nun in 1840. In 1835–38, she founded the famous charity hospital Spitalul Brâncovenesc for the poor in Bucharest.

Canonization

On July 1, 2025, Brâncoveanu was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church.