Thousands of Romanian Orthodox pilgrims have been queuing at the New Saint George Church in Bucharest to venerate a relic of Saint Anne — part of her foot — brought to Romania for the first time from Koutloumousiou Monastery on Mount Athos (a sacred peninsula in northern Greece that houses some of Eastern Orthodoxy's most important monasteries). Patriarch Daniel, head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, welcomed the relics as "a great blessing," noting Saint Anne's role as protector of families and motherhood; she is celebrated in the Orthodox calendar on 9 September. The event underscores Romania's deep religious culture — polls show 85 per cent of Romanians consider themselves religious — and the relics will remain on public display until 10 September.