“In the final part of her life, she withdrew to Surpatele Monastery, and from there she would often go to pray before the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God at Dintr-un Lemn Monastery. The route, which she sometimes travelled at night carrying oil lamps, became known as the Lady’s Road or the Road of Tears.
“She suffered greatly and experienced the martyrdom of her husband and sons as a heavy cross, but with hope in God’s help.
“Saint Maria Brâncoveanu is an example of martyr-like endurance: passing through suffering without losing hope and enduring hardship without falling into despair.
“she helped many churches on Mount Athos, in Alexandria and Jerusalem, in those places where Christians were under Ottoman rule
“Saint Maria Brâncoveanu was a devout Christian who demonstrated her love for God and the Church by founding places of worship.
“The Holy Princess Maria Brâncoveanu was not only hardworking and wise, but also extremely generous. She learnt to be temperate and merciful, and very often, with great discretion, performed many acts of charity and helped many people who were in need,
“She was a faithful wife and a devout, pious, highly responsible and self-sacrificing mother in giving birth to, raising and providing a Christian education for her children. She had four sons and seven daughters, and was therefore a mother who gave birth to 11 children.
“Saint Maria Brâncoveanu is one of the most beautiful icons of Romanian dignity and of spirituality.