Romanian churches. Abstract: Romanian Orthodox Church. History of the Romanian Church: the ecclesiastical aspect

organization of the Orthodox Theological Faculty.

The Bukovina-Dalmatia Metropolis had three dioceses: 1) Bukovina-Dalmatia and Chernivtsi; 2) Dalmatian-Istrian and 3) Boka-Kotor, Dubrovnik and Spichansk.

It should be noted that after the annexation of Bukovina to Austria (late 18th - early 19th century), many Romanians moved to Moldova, and Ukrainians from Galicia came to Bukovina. In 1900, there were 500,000 Orthodox people in Bukovina, of which 270,000 Ukrainians and 230,000 Romanians. Despite this, the Bukovina church was considered Romanian. Bishops and metropolitans were elected from Romanians. The Ukrainians sought to introduce their own language into worship, as well as to provide them with equal rights in church administration. However, their aspirations, supported by the Austrian government, caused only mutual dissatisfaction of both communities, which upset the life of the Bukovinian Church.

This continued until 1919, when the Church Council was convened, at which the unification of the dioceses of Romania, Transylvania and Bukovina took place. Bishop Miron of Caransebes (1910-1919) was elected Metropolitan-Primas (the title of Metropolitan-Primas was the Romanian First Hierarch from 1875 to 1925).

As for the Romanians-Uniates, their reunification with the Orthodox Church took place only in October 1948. This event will be discussed below.

8. Romanian Church - Patriarchate:

establishment of the patriarchate; Romanian Patriarchs; reunification of the Uniates; canonization of saints

By the decision of the Holy Synod of February 4, 1925, the Romanian Orthodox Church was proclaimed a Patriarchate. This definition was recognized by the Local Orthodox Churches as canonical ( Patriarch of Constantinople recognized by the Tomos of July 30, 1925). On November 1, 1925, the solemn erection of the then Romanian Metropolitan Primate took place. Myron to the rank of His Beatitude Patriarch of All Romania, Viceroy of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, Archbishop of Bucharest.

In 1955, during the solemn celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the patriarchate in the Romanian Church, Patriarch Justinian, assessing this act, said: “The Romanian Orthodox Church ... was worthy of this special honor both in its past of Orthodox Christian life and in its position and role in today's Orthodoxy, being the second largest in the number of believers and largest in the bosom of Orthodoxy. This was necessary not only for the Romanian Church, but for Orthodoxy in general. The recognition of autocephaly and the raising to the level of the Patriarchate gave

the Romanian Orthodox Church the opportunity to fulfill better and with greater benefit for Orthodoxy its religious and moral mission” (from the speech of the Patriarch. Archive of the DECR MP. Folder “Romanian Orthodox Church”, 1955).

His Beatitude Patriarch Miron led the Church until 1938. For some time he combined with the title of Primate of the Church the position of regent of the country.

From 1939 to 1948, the Romanian Orthodox Church was served by the Patriarch Nicodemus. He received his theological education at the Kyiv Theological Academy. His stay in Russia made him akin to the Russian Orthodox Church, for which he retained his sincere love for the rest of his life. Patriarch Nikodim is known theologically for his literary activity: he translated from Russian into Romanian A. P. Lopukhin’s “Bible

history" in six volumes, "Explanatory Bible" (Comments on all books Holy Scripture), the sermons of St. Demetrius of Rostov and others, and is especially known for his concern for Orthodox-Church unity. The Saint died on February 27, 1948 at the age of 83.

In 1948-1977 the Romanian Orthodox Church was headed by the Patriarch Justinian. He was born in 1901 in a peasant family with. Suesti in Oltenia. In 1923 he graduated from the Theological Seminary, after which he taught. In 1924 he was ordained a priest, and the following year he entered the Theological Faculty of the University of Bucharest, from which he graduated in 1929 with a degree in theology. Then he served as a pastor until 1945, when he was consecrated Bishop - Vicar of the Metropolis of Moldova and Suceava. In 1947, he became the metropolitan of this diocese, from where he was called to the post of Primate. Patriarch Justinian is known for his outstanding organizational skills. In all areas church life he introduced strict discipline and order. His pen belongs to: 11-volume work “Social Apostle. Examples and Instructions for the Clergy” (the last volume appeared in 1973), as well as “Gospel Commentary and Sunday Discourses” (1960, 1973). Since 1949 he was an honorary member of the Moscow Theological Academy, and since 1966 - and Leningrad. Patriarch Justinian died on March 26, 1977. According to the recall of the Greek press, he was "an outstanding personality not only in the Church of Romania, but in general in the Orthodox Church"; distinguished by "deep faith, devotion to the Church, his Christian life, theological training, writing qualities, commitment to the fatherland, and especially the organizational spirit, the signs of which are various institutions that contribute in many ways to the entire development of the Romanian Orthodox Church" .

In 1977-1986 the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church was Justin. He was born in 1910 in the family of a rural teacher. In 1930 he graduated with honors from the Seminary in Chimpulung Muschel. He continued his education at the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens and the Theological Faculty of the Catholic Church in Strasbourg (eastern France), after which in 1937 he received the degree of Doctor of Theology. In 1938-1939 he taught the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament at the Orthodox Theological Faculty at the University of Warsaw and was a professor at the same department in the theological schools of Suceava and Bucharest (in 1940-1956). In 1956, he was consecrated as Metropolitan of Ardyal. In 1957, he was transferred to the Metropolis of Moldova and Suceava, from which he was called to the patriarchal ministry.

His Beatitude Patriarch Justin is known to the Christian world as an outstanding figure in Orthodoxy and the ecumenical movement. Even when he was the Metropolitan of Moldova and

Suceava, he was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, was elected one of the seven Presidents of the Conference of European Churches, and headed the delegation of his Church at the First Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference in 1976.

Since November 9 (election day), 1986, the Romanian Orthodox Church has been headed by His Beatitude Patriarch Feoktist(in the world Theodore Arepashu). On November 13, he was solemnly presented with the Decree of the President of Romania (then socialist), confirming his election as Patriarch, and on November 16, the celebrations of his enthronement took place in the Cathedral in honor of the saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Elena.

Patriarch Feoktist was born in 1915 in a village in the northeast of Moldova. At the age of fourteen he began monastic obedience in the monasteries of Vorona and Neamets, and in 1935 he accepted

monastic tonsure in the Bystrica Monastery of the Archdiocese of Jassy. In 1937, after graduating from the Seminary in the Chernika Monastery, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and in 1945, after graduating from the Bucharest Theological Faculty, he was ordained a hieromonk (he received the title of licentiate of theology). In the rank of archimandrite, he was the vicar of the Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava, studying at the same time at the Faculty of Philology and Philosophy in Iasi. In 1950, he was consecrated Bishop of Botosani, Vicar of the Patriarch, and for twelve years led various departments of the Romanian Patriarchate: he was the secretary of the Holy Synod, the rector of the Theological Institute in Bucharest. Since 1962, Feoktist has been Bishop of Arad, since 1973 - Archbishop of Craiova and Metropolitan of Olten, since 1977 - Archbishop of Jassy, ​​Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava. Occupying the Metropolis of Moldova and Suceava (the second most important after the Patriarchal), Feoktist showed special concern for the Theological Seminary in the Neamtsky Monastery, for pastoral and missionary courses for clergy, for special courses for the staff of the Metropolia, and expanded publishing activities.

His Beatitude Theoktist actively participated in inter-church, ecumenical, and peacemaking events. He repeatedly headed delegations of his Patriarchate that visited different Churches (in 1978, the Russian Church), and also accompanied Patriarch Justin.

His literary activity is also wide: he published about six hundred articles, speeches, some of which were included in the four-volume collection. The talent of the orator manifested itself both in the temple and during speeches as a deputy of the Great National Assembly.

In his speech after the enthronement, His Beatitude Patriarch Theoktist testified to Orthodoxy and declared that he would strengthen pan-Orthodox unity, promote common Christian unity, and pay attention to the preparation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. “At the same time,” he said, “our efforts will be aimed at familiarization and fraternal rapprochement with other religions, as well as openness to the problems of the world in which we live. Among these problems, the world ranks first.”

Four months after the accession to the Patriarchal throne of Justinian - in October 1948 - a significant event took place in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church - the return to Orthodoxy of the Romanians of Transylvania, who in 1700 were forcibly involved in Catholic Church at the beginning of the union. Submitting to the outwardly Catholic administration, the Romanians-Uniates for 250 years retained Orthodox traditions and wanted to return to their father's house. Their reunion - more than one and a half million in number - with the Mother Church spiritually strengthened the Romanian Orthodox Church and helped her to continue her holy mission with new spiritual strength.

An important event in the last years of the history of Romanian Orthodoxy was the solemn canonization of several saints of Romanian origin in 1955: St. Kallinikos (1868), monks Bessarion and Sophronius - Transylvanian confessors and martyrs during the time of Roman Catholic proselytism in the 18th century, layman Orpheus Nikolaus and other ascetics of the faith and piety. At the same time, it was decided for all Orthodox Romanians to also venerate some locally venerated saints of non-Romanian origin, whose relics rest in Romania, for example, St. Demetrius the New Basarbovsky from Bulgaria.

On October 27, the Romanian Orthodox Church annually commemorates St. Demetrius the New. The Orthodox population of Bucharest especially reverently honors the name of the saint, considering him the patron saint of their capital.

Saint Demetrius lived in the 13th century. He was born in the village of Basarabov, located on the Lom River, a tributary of the Thinking, in Bulgaria. His parents were poor. They raised their son in deep devotion Christian faith. From an early age, Demetrius was a shepherd. When his parents died, he went to a small monastery in the mountains. In his cell, he led a strict lifestyle. Peasants often came to him for a blessing, for advice, and were surprised at his kindness, friendliness and height of spiritual life. Feeling the approach of death, the saint went far into the mountains, where in a deep cleft between the rocks he gave up his spirit to God. His imperishable remains were later transferred to the temple of his native village. Touching the relics of the saint of one sick girl healed her from a serious illness. The fame of the saint spread far and wide. A new temple was built in his honor, where the relics of the saint were laid. In June 1774, with the assistance of one of the Russian commanders, the relics of the saint were transferred from Bulgaria to Romania - to Bucharest, where they are still in the cathedral. Since then, Orthodox Christians of the country have been flowing to them in countless numbers to worship with a prayer for grace-filled help.

In addition to the named saints, according to the Service Book of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the following Romanian saints are commemorated during the litia: Joseph the New, Ilia Iorest, Metropolitan Savva Brankovich of Ardyal (XVII century), Oprea Miklaus, John Valakh and others.

9. The current situation of the Romanian Orthodox Church:

relations between Church and state; statistical data; flock abroad; central, as well as diocesan and parish authorities of church administrations; spiritual court, monasteries, spiritual enlightenment

Concerning the current situation of the Romanian Orthodox Church, it is necessary first of all to say about the relationship between the Church and the state.

The Church is recognized as a legal entity. “Parishes, deaneries, monasteries, bishoprics, metropolises and the Patriarchate,” says Article 186 of the Statute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, “are legal entities of public law.” The relationship of the Church with the State is determined by the Romanian Constitution and the Religion Law of 1948. The main principles of these legalizations are as follows: freedom of conscience for all citizens of the Republic, the prohibition of any discrimination based on religious affiliation, respect for the rights of all religious denominations in accordance with their beliefs, guaranteeing the right to establish Theological schools for the training of clergy and clergy, respect for the principle of state non-intervention in the internal affairs of the Churches and religious communities.

The state provides the Church with significant financial assistance and allocates large funds for the restoration and protection of religious monuments - ancient monasteries and temples, which are a national treasure and a witness to the historical past. The state pays salaries to teachers of theological institutes. The clergy also partially receive support from the state and are exempted from military service. “The salaries of church employees and employees of institutions of the Orthodox Church, as well as expenses for diocesan and patriarchal centers, are paid by the state in accordance with its annual budget. The personal staff of the Orthodox Church is paid

in accordance with the laws in force on employees of the state.

Receiving assistance from the state, the Romanian Orthodox Church, in turn, supports the patriotic undertakings of the state authorities with the means at its disposal.

“Our Church is not isolated,” Patriarch Justinian answered the questions of the correspondent of the newspaper “Avvenire d'Italia” (Bologna) on October 9, 1965. “She considers it her duty to promote the progress of the Romanian people in accordance with the lines outlined by the state. This does not mean, that we agree with the communist regime in everything, including on ideological issues, but this is not required of us.”

Consequently, the basis of good relations between the Church and the state is the combination of freedom of conscience with the awareness of civil rights and obligations.

The dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox Church are grouped into 5 metropolitanates, each of which has 1-2 archdioceses and 1-3 bishoprics (6 archdioceses and 7 bishoprics). In addition, the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese (a department in Detroit) operates in the United States, which is under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate (founded in 1929 as a bishopric, elevated to an Archdiocese in 1974. It has its own printed organ "Credinta" ("Bepa") .

The Romanian diocese also operates in Hungary (the seat of Gyula). It has eighteen parishes and is governed by an episcopal vicar.

In 1972, the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church took over the so-called French Orthodox Church. It was established more than 30 years ago by priest Evgraf Kovalevsky (later Bishop John). Its representatives stated that their group is the true embodiment of French Orthodoxy, for which it was condemned by other jurisdictions, including the "Russian Exarchate" on Rue Daru. After the death of Bishop John (1970), this community (several thousand people, 15 priests and 7 deacons), having no other bishop, asked the Romanian Church to accept it into its jurisdiction and create an autonomous bishopric in France. The request was granted.

The Romanian Orthodox Church also submits to separate parishes in Baden-Baden, Vienna, London, Sofia (in Sofia - a courtyard), Stockholm, Melbourne and Wellington (in Australia, where over four thousand Romanians live, 3 parishes, in New Zealand 1 Romanian parish) . Since 1963, there has been a representation in Jerusalem under His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine.

In order to keep in touch with foreign Romanian Orthodox communities and improve student exchange with the Local Orthodox Churches, the Romanian Patriarchate established in January 1976 the Department for the Affairs of Romanian Orthodox Communities Abroad and Student Exchange.

Part of the Orthodox Romanians in the United States is under the jurisdiction of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America. Part of the Romanians in Canada becomes stagnant in the Karlovac schism. A small group of Orthodox Romanians in Germany are subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox Church on the territory of Romania are subdivided into 152 protopresvtierates (our deaneries) and have at least 600 parishes each. The clergy has 10,000 clergy with 8,500 parishes. In Bucharest alone, there are 228 parish churches, in which 339 priests and 11 deacons serve. Approximately 5-6 thousand monastics of both sexes living in 133 monasteries, sketes and farmsteads. The total flock is 16 million. On average, one priest per one thousand six hundred believers. There are two theological institutes (in Bucharest and Sibiu) and 7 Theological Seminaries. 9 magazines are published.

According to the "Regulations" adopted by the Holy Synod in October 1948, the central governing bodies of the Romanian Orthodox Church are the Holy Synod, the National Church Assembly (Church Council), the Permanent Synod and the National Church Council.

The Holy Synod consists of the entire serving episcopate of the Romanian Church. Its sessions are convened once a year. The competence of the Holy Synod includes all dogmatic, canonical and liturgical questions of the Church.

The National Church Assembly includes members of the Holy Synod and representatives of the clergy and laity from all dioceses elected by the flock for four years (one cleric and two laymen from each diocese). The National Church Assembly deals with issues of a church-administrative and economic nature. Convened once a year.

The Permanent Synod, consisting of the Patriarch (Chairman) and all Metropolitans, is convened as needed. In the period between sessions of the Holy Synod, he decides current church affairs.

The National Church Council consists of three clerics and six laity, elected for four years by the National Church Assembly, "is the highest administrative body and at the same time the executive body of the Holy Synod and the National Church Assembly" .

The central executive bodies also include the Patriarchal Office, consisting of two vicar bishops of the Ungro-Vlachian Metropolis, two administrative advisers, from the Patriarchal Chancellery, and the Inspection and Control Body.

According to the tradition of the Romanian Orthodox Church, each metropolis must have the relics of saints in its cathedral. The bishops of the metropolis, together with the metropolitan (chairman), constitute the Metropolitan Synod, which manages the affairs of these dioceses. Their direct rulers are either metropolitans (in archdioceses) or bishops (in bishops). Each archdiocese or bishopric has two administrative bodies: an advisory body, the Diocesan Assembly, and an executive body.

Diocesan Council. The Diocesan Assembly is composed of 30 delegates (10 clerics and 20 laity) elected by the clergy and flock of each diocese for four years. It convenes once a year. The resolutions of the Assembly are carried out by the diocesan bishop together with the Diocesan Council, which consists of 9 members (3 clergy and 6 laity), elected by the Diocesan Assembly for four years.

Dioceses are divided into protopopies or protopresbyteries, headed by archpriests (protopresbyters) appointed by diocesan bishops.

The parish is headed by the parish priest. The parish government bodies are the Parish Assembly of all members of the parish and the Parish Council, consisting of 7-12 members elected by the Parish Assembly. Meetings of the Parish Assembly are held once a year. The chairman of the Parish Assembly and the Parish Council is the rector of the parish. To create a parish, it is necessary to unite 500 families in cities, 400 in villages.

The organs of the spiritual court are: the Main Church Court - the highest judicial and disciplinary authority (consists of five clergy members and one archivist); Diocesan Courts, existing under each diocese (of five clerics); judicial and disciplinary bodies operating at each deanery (from four clerics) and similar ones - at large monasteries (from two to four monks or nuns).

In the hierarchical order, the first place after the Patriarch in the Romanian Orthodox Church is occupied by the Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava, who has his residence in Iasi. The patriarch is the chairman of the central governing bodies of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the metropolitan is the vice-chairman.

Patriarchs, metropolitans and bishops in the Romanian Orthodox Church are elected by secret ballot by an Elected Council (Assembly) consisting of members of the National Church Assembly and representatives of the dowager diocese. Candidates for bishops must have a degree in theology, be monks or widowed priests.

The Romanian Church Statute ensures the cooperation of the clergy and laity in the life of the Church and administration. Each diocese delegates to the National Church Assembly, in addition to one clergyman, two more laity. The laity are also included in the National Church Council - the executive body of the central institutions, they take an active part in the life of the parish.

Monasticism in the Romanian Orthodox Church, both in the past (excluding the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century), and in the present, was and is at a high level. “The great enlightening role played by the Orthodox monasteries in the past of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian people is known,” we read in the publication of the Orthodox Biblical and Missionary Institute in Bucharest “L" eglise Orthodoxe Roumaine ".

For many centuries they were true centers of culture. In these monasteries, with diligence and painstaking patience, the monks copied wonderful manuscripts, decorated with miniatures, which constitute a true treasure for Orthodoxy in general and for the Romanian Orthodox Church in particular. In the distant past, when the state was not involved in education, monasteries organized the first schools that trained calligraphers and chroniclers. In the monasteries, translations into Romanian were made of the works of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Church - these treasures of thought and spiritual life.

The presence of monasticism in Romanian lands is already noted in the 10th century. This is evidenced by the temples built at that time on the rocks in Dobruja.

Of the monks-ascetics of the Middle Ages, Orthodox Romanians especially revere the Athonite monk of Greek-Serbian origin, Saint Nicodemus of Tisman (1406). During the years of exploits on Mount Athos, Saint Nicodemus was hegumen in the monastery of Saint Michael the Archangel. He ended his righteous life in Romania. Saint Nicodemus laid the foundations of organized monasticism in the Romanian lands, created the monasteries of Voditsa and Tismana, which were the firstborn of a number of currently operating monasteries. In 1955, the Romanian Orthodox Church decided to honor him everywhere.

Until the reign of Prince Alexander Cuza, anyone striving for monastic life could enter the monastery, and therefore in Romania at the beginning of the 19th century, according to the Vedomosti presented by the Exarch of Moldavia and Wallachia Gabriel Banulescu-Bodoni to the Holy Synod, there were 407 monasteries. But in 1864, a law was passed according to which monasticism was allowed only for presbyters who had graduated from the Theological Seminary, or those who would make a commitment to devote their lives to caring for the sick. The age for accepting monasticism was also determined: for men - 60 years, for women - 50 (then lowered: for men - 40, for women - 30). In addition, as noted above, the monastic property was confiscated under the jurisdiction of the state.

With the fall of the power of Alexander Cuza, the situation of monasticism did not improve: the government continued to take measures aimed at reducing monasticism to a minimum. By the beginning of the current century, 20 male and 20 female monasteries remained in Romania. Only in 12 years (from 1890 to 1902) 61 monasteries were closed.

“And such measures against monasteries,” F. Kurganov wrote in 1904, “the government applies continuously. The abolished monasteries were converted partly into parish churches, partly into prison castles, partly into barracks, hospitals, public gardens, etc.” .

Monasteries in Romania were divided into cenobitic and seperate. The latter included wealthy monks who built their houses in the vicinity of the monastery, in which they lived alone or together.

According to the jurisdictional position, the monasteries were divided into native ones, subordinate to local metropolitans and bishops, and dedicated to various Holy Places of the East and therefore dependent on them. The "dedicated" monasteries were ruled by the Greeks.

The feat of the monks was determined by a special Charter. The Charter obligated the monks to: daily attend divine services; keep in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the unity of the spirit and the bonds of love; find comfort in prayer, obedience, and be dead to the world; not to leave the monastery without the permission of the abbot; free from worship

time to do reading, needlework, common work.

At present, monastic deeds are regulated by the Charter of monastic life, which was drawn up with the direct participation of His Beatitude Patriarch Justinian and adopted by the Holy Synod in February 1950.

According to the Statute and later decisions of the Synod, the coenobitic (coenobitic) system was introduced in all the monasteries of the Romanian Church. Abbots of monasteries are called "elders" and manage the cloisters together with the cathedral of monks. To become a monk, you need to have the appropriate education. “Not a single brother or sister,” says Article 78 of the Charter, “receives monastic vows without having a seven-year elementary school certificate or a monastery school certificate and a certificate of specialization in any craft that he studied in the monastery workshop” . The main thing in the life of monks is the combination of deeds of prayer and labor. The commandment "Ora et labora" is found in many articles of the Charter. All monks, not excluding the highly educated, must know some trade. The monks work in church printing houses, at candle factories, in bookbinding workshops, in art, sculpture, in the manufacture of church utensils, etc. They are also engaged in beekeeping, viticulture, cultivation of silkworms, and so on. Nuns work in weaving and sewing workshops, in workshops for the production of sacred vestments and national clothes, church decorations, carpets, famous for their high artistic skill. The “worldly” products of the monasteries (national clothes) are then distributed by the Romanian Export Society, which, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, concludes contracts with large monastic centers that unite several monasteries.

But the introduction of the obligatory performance of any craft work did not turn the monasteries into workshops for the manufacture of various things. They continue to be centers of spiritual achievement. At the center of monastic life is constant participation in worship and individual prayer. In addition, the monastic Rule prescribes to accompany the engagement in external affairs with prayer. “Any work,” says article 62 of the Charter, “should be sanctified by the spirit of prayer, according to the words of St. Theodore the Studite. “As a person who has decided with all his heart to live for the glory of God and His Son,” the Charter teaches, “a monk must first of all be filled with prayer, because it is not the cassock, but prayer that makes him a monk.” “He must know that as a monk he is always closer to God in order to fulfill his prayer duty for the benefit of people who do not have much time, like him, for prayer, and also to pray for those who do not know, do not want and do not can pray, and especially for those who have never prayed, because he himself must be in the highest degree a man of prayer, and his mission is primarily the mission of prayer. A monk is a candle of prayer, constantly lit among the people, and his prayer is the first and most beautiful thing that he must do out of love for his brothers, the people of the world.

To the question of a correspondent of the newspaper "Avvenire d" Italia "in 1965 about what function the monasteries performed then in society, the Patriarch answered: "The function of an exclusively religious and educational nature. Social activities in which they were once engaged (charity, etc. .), has now passed to the state. The social institutions of the Church are intended exclusively for the service of clergy and monastics, including the existing rest houses and sanatoriums. "- Today (1993) to this answer of the Patriarch it is necessary to add: "social institutions of the Church" serve and "peace".

Monasteries have their own libraries, museums and hospitals. Of the monasteries, it should be noted: the Neamets Lavra, the monasteries of Chernika, Tisman, Uspensky, in the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Elena, etc.

Neamt Lavra was first mentioned in a charter dated January 7, 1407 by Metropolitan Joseph of Moldavia. In 1497, a majestic temple in the name of the Ascension of the Lord, built by the governor of Moldavia Stephen the Great, was consecrated in the monastery. For the Romanian Orthodox Church, this monastery had the same meaning as the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra for the Russian. For many years it was the center of spiritual enlightenment. Many hierarchs of the Romanian Church came from her brethren. She showed in her midst high examples of Christian life, serving as a school of piety. The monastery, which reached a flourishing state thanks to the donations of pilgrims and the contributions of Orthodox Romanian believers, gave all its wealth to the elderly, the sick, and those in need of help. “In times of severe political trials,” Bishop Arseniy testifies, “during famine, fires and other national disasters, the whole Orthodox Romania reached out to the Neamtsky Monastery, finding material and spiritual help here.” A rich library of Slavic manuscripts of the 14th-18th centuries was collected in the monastery. Unfortunately, a fire in 1861 destroyed most of the library and many buildings in the monastery. As a result of this misfortune, as well as the policy of the government of Prince Kuza, aimed at depriving the monasteries of their possessions, the Neamt monastery fell into decay. Most of its monks went to Russia, where in Bessarabia - on the estates of the monastery - was founded Novo-Nyametsky Ascension Monastery.“In 1864, Russia,” said the first abbot of the new monastery, Archimandrite Andronik, “gave shelter to us monks who fled from the Romanian monasteries of Neamtsa and Seku. help Mother of God and with the prayers of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky, we founded here, in Bessarabia, a new monastery, also called Nyamuy, like the ancient one: by this we, as it were, pay tribute to the head of our hostel, Paisius Velichkovsky.

Currently, about 100 monks live in the Lavra, there is a Theological Seminary, a library and a printing house of the Metropolitan of Moldova. The monastery has two sketes.

Closely connected with the history of this Lavra is the name of the elder Schema-Archimandrite Reverend Paisius Velichkovsky, the renovator of monastic life in Romania, a spirit-bearing ascetic of modern times. He was born in the Poltava region in 1722. At the age of seventeen, Saint Paisios began to lead a monastic life. For some time he labored on Mount Athos, where he founded a skete in the name of St. prophet Elijah. From here, at the request of the Moldavian ruler, he moved with several monks to Wallachia to organize monastic life here. After serving as abbot in various monasteries, Saint Paisios was appointed Archimandrite of the Neamtsky Monastery. His whole ascetic life was filled with prayer, physical labor, strict and constant guidance of the monks in the rules monastic life and academic pursuits. Rev. Paisios rested no more than three hours a day. He and his associates translated from Greek into Russian many patristic creations(Philanthropy, works of Saints Isaac the Syrian, Maximus the Confessor, Theodore the Studite, Gregory Palamas, etc.). The great ascetic and prayer book, Elder Paisios was honored with the gift of insight. He died in 1795 and was buried in this monastery.

In the 60s of the current century, a museum was opened at the monastery, in which the values ​​of the Lavra sacristy are presented. There is also a rich library that stores ancient Slavic, Greek and Romanian manuscripts, printed books of the 16th-19th centuries, and various historical documents.

Historically and spiritually connected with the Neamt monastery monastery Blueberry, located 20 kilometers east of Bucharest. Founded in the 16th century, the monastery was repeatedly destroyed. It was restored by the cares of Elder Georgy, a student of the Elder Schema-Archimandrite of the Monk Paisius Velichkovsky and a follower of the ascetic school of the Holy Mountain.

The spiritual tradition of St. Paisius Velichkovsky was continued by Bishop Kallinik of Rymnik and Novoseverinsky (1850-1868), who labored in fasting, prayer, deeds of mercy, right and constant faith, confirmed by the Lord with the gift of miracles. In 1955 he was canonized. The holy relics are in the Chernika Monastery, where St. Kallinikos carried out monastic obedience with humility for 32 years.

The monastery serves as a witness of the Romanian Orthodox antiquity Tisman, erected in the second half of the XIV century in the mountains of Gorzha. Its builder was the pious archimandrite Nikodim. In the Middle Ages, the monastery was the center of spiritual enlightenment - church books were translated here into Romanian from Greek and Church Slavonic. Since 1958, this monastery has become a women's one.

Uspensky the monastery (about 100 monks) was founded by the ruler Alexander Lepusneanu in the 16th century. He is famous for the severity of the charter - following the example of St. Theodore the Studite.

Female monastery in the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena It was founded by the sovereign of the lands of Romania, Constantin Bryncoveanu, in 1704. Constantine himself became a martyr in Constantinople in 1714. For refusing to accept Mohammedanism, the Turks cut his skin. In 1992 he was canonized by the Romanian Church. There are about 130 nuns in the monastery.

There are also such women's monasteries with many nuns in Moldova as Suchevscha(founded in the 16th century, rich in interesting frescoes), Agony(built in the 17th century, also located in a mountainous area, surrounded by formidable fortress walls), Varatek(founded in 1785), etc. There is a monastery in the Ploiesti region Gichiu - founded in 1806, rebuilt in 1859; During the Second World War, it was destroyed, in 1952 it was restored. The monastery attracts attention with the beauty of its architecture Curtea de Arges, founded in the first quarter of the 16th century.

Concerned about the preservation and transmission to future generations of the culture and art of the past, the Romanian Orthodox Church is diligently working on the restoration and restoration of historical monuments of church art. In some monasteries and churches, through the efforts of monks or parishioners, museums have been organized in which ancient books, documents and church utensils are collected. Individual theologians of the Romanian Church are among the employees of the existing State Administration of Historical Monuments and the Institute of Archeology and Conservation at the Institute of Art History of the Romanian Academy of Sciences.

The Romanians were the only Romance people who adopted the Slavic language both in the Church and in literature. The first printed books published in Wallachia at the beginning of the 16th century by Hieromonk Macarius were, like earlier manuscripts, in Church Slavonic. But already in the middle of the same century, Philip Moldavan published the Catechism in Romanian (not preserved). Some improvement in the book business begins in the second half of the 16th century and is associated with the activities of the deacon Korea, who published in Romanian the “Christian questioning” in questions and answers (1559), the Four Gospels, the Apostle (1561 - 1563), the Psalter and the Missal (1570). The publication of these printed books laid the foundation for the translation of services into Romanian. This translation was completed a little later - after the publication of the Bucharest Bible translated into Romanian by the brothers Radu and Shcherban Greceanu (1688) and Mena by Bishop Caesarea of ​​Rymnik (1776-1780). At the turn of the XVII - XVIII centuries, Metropolitan Anfim of Wallachia (martyred in 1716) committed new translation liturgical books, which, with minor changes, entered the liturgical practice of the Romanian Orthodox Church. During the reign of Prince Cuza, a special order was issued that only the Romanian language should be used in the Romanian Church. In 1936-1938 a new translation of the Bible also appeared.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, spiritual education in Romania was at a low level. There were few books, especially Romanian ones; court, and following his example, the boyars, spoke Greek until

the twenties of the XIX century - the Phanariots prevented the enlightenment of the European country. “For Romania, these Phanariot monks,” Bishop Melchizedek of Romance reproached the Patriarchate of Constantinople, “did nothing: not a single school for the education of the clergy and the people, not a single hospital for the sick, not a single Romanian educated on their initiative and at their rich means, not a single Romanian book for the development of the language, not a single charitable institution" . True, at the very beginning of the 19th century (in 1804), as mentioned above, the first Theological Seminary was established in the Sokol Monastery, which was soon closed due to the Russian-Turkish wars (1806-1812; 1828-1832). Its activities were restored in 1834, when seminaries were opened at the episcopal sees of Wallachia. In the 1940s, catechetical schools began to be established, preparing mainly pupils in the seminary. By the end of the 19th century, there were two so-called “higher” seminaries with a four-year course of study and two “lower” ones with the same training period. The following subjects were studied: Holy Scripture, Holy History, Theology - Basic, Dogmatic, Moral, Pastoral, Accusatory, Patrology and Spiritual Literature, Orthodox Confession (Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, (1647), Church and State Law, Church Charter, Liturgy, Homiletics, General and Romanian church and civil history, Church singing, Philosophy, Pedagogy, General and Romanian geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology, Agronomy, Medicine, Drawing, Drafting, Needlework, Gymnastics, languages ​​- Romanian, Greek, Latin, French, German and Hebrew.

In 1884, the Faculty of Theology was opened at the University of Bucharest. The curriculum in it was adopted on the model of Russian Theological Academies. Probably, this was influenced by the graduate of the Kyiv Theological Academy, Bishop Melchizedek of Romansky, who took an active part in the opening of the faculty. Unfortunately, the program was introduced slowly. Perhaps this was because the faculty soon came under German influence: most of its professors were Germans or received their education and degrees from German universities. “It is very sad, gentlemen, deputies,” one of the deputies said during a meeting on December 8, 1888, “that the Romanians, who are under a foreign, Austrian yoke, have long had an Orthodox Theological Faculty, excellently organized in Chernivtsi (in Bukovina); meanwhile free

the Romanians were so late with the opening of this great cultural institution that even now they are not able to put it in such conditions that would contribute to the growth of good, desired fruits from it.

In 1882, the Synodal Printing House was opened in Bucharest.

At present, spiritual enlightenment in the Romanian Orthodox Church is at a high level.

For the training of the clergy in the Romanian Orthodox Church there are two Theological institutes of the university degree - in Bucharest and Sibiu, seven Theological Seminaries: in Bucharest, Neamets, Cluj, Craiova, Caransebes, Buzău and Curtea de Arges Monastery. The last one opened in October 1968. Students are fully supported. Their performance is evaluated on a ten-point system. The Seminary accepts young men from the age of 14. Teaching is designed for five years and is divided into two cycles. After the end of the first cycle, lasting two years, seminarians receive the right to be appointed to the parish as psalmists; those who complete the full course are ordained priests for rural parishes of the third (last) category. Those who pass the exams with an "excellent" mark can apply for admission to one of the two Theological Institutes. The institutes prepare theologically educated clergy. At the end of the fourth year of study, students take an oral examination and present scientific work. Graduates of the Institute are awarded diplomas of a licentiate. For those wishing to improve their spiritual education in Bucharest, there is a so-called Doctorate. The course of study in the Doctorate lasts three years and consists of four (optional) sections: biblical, historical, systematic (they study Dogmatic theology, Moral theology, etc.) and practical. Doctorate graduates have the right to write a doctoral dissertation.

Each of the professors must submit at least one research paper annually. Every priest, after five years of service in a parish, is obliged to refresh his knowledge with a five-day study and then pass the appropriate examination. From time to time the clergy come to the sessions of the courses of pastoral and missionary instruction, where they are given lectures on theology. They share the experience of church service in their parishes, discuss together contemporary issues theological literature, etc. The Charter of the Romanian Orthodox Church requires clerics to give annual lectures on theoretical and practical topics in deanery or diocesan centers at the discretion of the bishop.

It should also be noted here that in the Romanian Orthodox Church Special attention refers to the need for strict performance of divine services by the clergy, the moral purity of their lives and regular visits by parishioners to the temple of God. The absence or small number of the flock during divine services calls into question the identity of the priest himself and his activities.

There are some peculiarities in the ritual practice of divine services. Thus, for example, litanies are pronounced in a special order. All the deacons are placed in one row on the salt facing the altar in the middle with the senior protodeacon and read the petitions in turn. Protodeacons are awarded, like our priests, pectoral crosses with decorations.

great attention devoted to preaching. The sermons are delivered immediately after the reading of the Gospel and at the end of the liturgy. During communion

clergy read the works of St. fathers, and at the end of the service, the life of the holy day is read.

Since 1963, the Orthodox Theological Institutes in Bucharest and Sibiu and the Protestant Institute in Cluj, which train clergy, periodically hold joint conferences of an ecumenical and patriotic nature.

The publishing work of the Romanian Orthodox Church has been set at a high level: the books of St. Scriptures, liturgical books (prayer books, collections of church hymns, calendars, etc.), study guides for Theological Schools, lengthy and abbreviated catechisms, collections of church laws, church charters, etc. In addition, the Patriarchate and metropolitans publish a number of periodical church magazines, central and local. The central journals of the Romanian Church are "Biserica Ortodoxa Romana" ("Romanian Orthodox Church", published since 1883), "Ortodoxia" ("Orthodoxy", published since 1949), "Studii Teologice" ("Theological Studies", published since 1949). of the year). The first of these, the official two-monthly magazine, contains the definitions and official communications of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church and other central bodies of church authority; the second, a three-month periodical, contains articles on theological and ecclesiastical problems of an inter-Orthodox and general Christian nature;

In local-diocesan church magazines (5 magazines) - official messages are placed (decrees of the diocesan authorities, circular orders, minutes of meetings of local church bodies, etc.), as well as articles on different topics: theological, church-historical and actual-social.

These journals are reminiscent of the former Diocesan Vedomosti of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Since 1971, the Foreign Relations Department of the Romanian Patriarchate has been publishing quarterly, in Romanian and English, the journal Romanian Orthodox Church News (News of the Romanian Orthodox Church). The name of the journal corresponds to its content: it contains reports on current events in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church, mainly concerning the external relations of the Romanian Patriarchate with other Local Orthodox Churches and heterodox confessions.

The church newspaper "Telegraful Roman" ("Romanian Telegraph") is published weekly in Sibiu. This is the oldest Romanian newspaper in terms of publication time (it began to appear from the middle of the 19th century: from 1853 as a civil newspaper for all Romanians; from 1948 it became only a church one).

The Romanian Orthodox Church has seven printing houses of its own.

The Orthodox Biblical and Missionary Institute operates in Bucharest under the direct supervision of the Patriarch. The task of the Institute is the general management of all ecclesiastical publications of the Romanian Orthodox Church, as well as the production and distribution of icons, sacred vessels and liturgical vestments.

Much attention is paid to iconography. A special school of ecclesiastical painting has been set up at the Orthodox Biblical and Missionary Institute. The monasteries hold practical classes in icon painting.

10. Relations of the Romanian Orthodox Church with the Russian in the past and present

The Romanian Orthodox Church, both in the past and in the present, has maintained and continues to maintain close ties with all Orthodox Churches. Relations between the Orthodox Churches-Sisters - Romanian and Russian - began over 500 years ago, when the first manuscripts were received in Romania, containing ritual instructions and rites of worship in Church Slavonic. At first, spiritual and instructive books were delivered to the Romanian principalities from Kyiv, and then from Moscow.

In the 17th century, cooperation between the two Orthodox Churches was marked by the publication of the Confessions Orthodox faith”, compiled by the Kyiv Metropolitan Peter Mogila, originally from Moldova, and adopted in 1642 at the Cathedral in Iasi.

In the same 17th century, Metropolitan Dositheos of Suceava, taking care of the spread of spiritual enlightenment, turned to Patriarch Joachim of Moscow with a request to assist in equipping a printing house. In his letter, he pointed to the decline of enlightenment and the need for its rise. The request of Metropolitan Dositheus was heard - everything requested for the printing house was soon sent. In gratitude for this help, Metropolitan Dositheos placed in the Paremias, published in the last quarter of the 17th century in the Moldavian language, a poem composed by him in honor of Patriarch Joachim of Moscow.

The text of this poem reads:

“To His Holiness Mr. Joachim, Patriarch of the Tsar’s City of Moscow and All Russia, Great and Small, etc. Hair poems.

Truly praise should have alms / in heaven and on earth alike /, for light shines from Moscow /, spreading long rays / and a good name under the sun /: Saint Joachim, in the holy city / royal, Christian /. Whoever turns to him for alms / with a good soul, he bestows him well /. We also turned to his holy face /, and he reacted well to our request /: a sincere matter, and we like it /. May God grant that he shines in heaven /, along with the saints, that he be glorified. (ZhMP. 1974. No. 3. S. 51).

Metropolitan Dositheos sent to Moscow his essay on the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts in the sacrament of the Eucharist, as well as his translation from Greek into Slavonic of the epistles of Saint Ignatius the God-bearer.

On the verge of the 17th and 18th centuries, cooperation between the two Orthodox Churches manifested itself in the effective spiritual and material support of the Russian Orthodox Church for the Orthodox population of Transylvania in connection with the desire of the Austrian Catholic government to establish a union here. In the middle of the 18th century, the union of the two fraternal Churches was strengthened by the elder Rev. Paisius Velichkovsky with his activity aimed at the renewal and exaltation of Orthodox piety in Romania. This ascetic, a native of the Ukrainian spiritual family and the organizer of monastic life in the Neamts monastery, equally belongs to both Churches.

After the opening of the Russian Theological Academies in the 19th century, ample opportunity was given to study in them and the pupils of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

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Historical sketch of the Romanian Orthodox Church

1. The period of early Christianity in the territory of modern Romania

According to legend, the first seeds of Christianity were brought to the borders of modern Romania by the holy apostle Andrew and the disciples of the holy apostle Paul. In the II and III centuries, Christianity penetrated into the Roman province of Dacia that existed here thanks to merchants, merchants, and Roman settlers. Priest N. Dashkov remarks: “If there is no doubt that the Roman language and customs, Roman customs and society left deep traces in the settlers of Dacia Trajan, then justice requires admitting that the main primordial beginning of the new historical civilization - Christianity - launched its first rays to the local region at this very time. Opening this question further, he comes to the conclusion that Christianity, “brought into Dacia by the Roman colonists, who at first constituted a large contingent of Christians, obviously should be considered brought here not from the east, as some historians, led by Mr. Golubinsky, and from the west, since in the II and even III centuries the Byzantine Church ... did not yet exist. Tertullian, the presbyter of the Carthaginian Church, testifies that in his time (the end of the 2nd - the beginning of the 3rd century) there were Christians among the Dacians, the ancestors of the modern Romanians. In his treatise “Against the Jews”, Tertullian, speaking of the fact that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is already glorified in many places, asks: “In whom did the Jews who then lived in Jerusalem believe, and other peoples from the borders of Getulia, Mauritania, Spain, Gaul , the inhabitants of Britain, inaccessible to the Romans, but who submitted to Christ, Sarmatians, Dacians (italics mine. - K. S), Germans, Scythians, many other countries and islands unknown to us, which cannot even be counted.

Evidence of the early development of Christianity among the ancestors of the Romanian people, as well as the good organization of the Church among them, is the large number of martyrs who suffered during the years of the persecution of the Roman rulers against the Church of Christ. So, in 1971, the following fact became known. In the spring of this year, Romanian archaeologists discovered an ancient Christian basilica on one of the flood-damaged roads leading to the hills of Niculicele (Tulcea County). Under its altar were found the tombs of four Christian martyrs - Zotik, Attalus, Kamasis and Philip. Studies carried out by experts have shown that the righteous death of these martyrs came as a result of harsh prison conditions and torment during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98 - 117). In 1972, their holy relics were solemnly transferred to the temple of the Kokosh Monastery (Lower Danube Diocese, Galati County). There were many martyrs in the Danube region as far as Pannonia and during the last persecutions of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Among them are Bishops Ephraim of Tomsk and Irenaeus of Sirmia, priests and deacons.

In the 5th century, Christianity was spread on the territory of Romania by the Latin missionary St. Nikita Remesyansky (431). “He converted many peoples to Christianity and founded monasteries between them,” says this apostle of Dacia in the work of F. Kurganov “Sketches and Essays from recent history Romanian Church". It is known that at the Second, Third and Fourth Ecumenical Councils there was already a bishop from the city of Toma (now Constanta). The chronicles of the 6th century mention a bishop from the city of Akve, who fought against the heretics of that time, but only in the 14th century two metropolitanates were formed: one in Wallachia (founded in 1359. The first metropolitan was Iakinf Critopul), the other in Moldova (founded earlier 1387. The first metropolitan - Joseph Musat).

The province of Dacia was part of the region of Illyricum, therefore, the Dacia bishops were also under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Sirmia, who was subject to the jurisdiction of Rome, and therefore depended on the Pope. After the destruction of Sirmia by the Huns (5th century), the church region of Dacia came under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Thessalonica, who was subordinate either to Rome or to Constantinople. With the establishment in the VI century by Emperor Justinian I in his native city - the first Justinian - the center of church administration, along with other provinces subordinate to this center, Dacia was also subordinated. “Wishing to glorify his homeland in every possible way,” Justinian’s rescript said, “the emperor wants her bishop to enjoy the rights of the highest hierarch, namely, that he be not only a metropolitan, but also an archbishop. Its jurisdiction shall henceforth extend to the following provinces: Dacia inland and coast, upper Mysia, Dardania, Prevalis, second Macedonia, and part of second Pannonia. In the old days, - it was noted further - the prefecture was located in Sirmia, which served as the center of both civil and ecclesiastical administration for the whole of Illyricum. But in the time of Attila, when the northern provinces were devastated, the prefect of Appenia fled from Sirmia to Thessalonica, and "under the shadow of the prefecture" the bishop of this city also acquired the prerogatives of the highest hierarch of Illyricum. At present, in view of the fact that the Danubian regions have been returned to the empire, the emperor found it necessary to transfer the prefecture again to the north, to Dacia in the Mediterranean, not far from Pannonia, where this prefecture used to be, and place it in his native city. In view of this exaltation of Justiniana, her bishops should henceforth have all the prerogatives and rights of an archbishop and take precedence among the bishops of the aforementioned district. In the VIII century, the Church of this region (the First Justinian, and with it Dacia) was placed under the full jurisdiction of Constantinople by Emperor Leo the Isaurian. With the rise of the southern Slavs Ohrid for the Romanians in the X century, this city becomes a religious center.

2. Church in the Romanian principalities before the Turkish enslavement

During the years of the existence of the Tarnovo Patriarchate (abolished in 1393. See chapter IV “The Bulgarian Orthodox Church”), the metropolitans of Wallachia (or otherwise: Ungro-Wallachia, Muntenia) were under its jurisdiction, and then again became dependent on Constantinople.

Romanians' dependence on Bulgarian Church had the consequence that the Romanians adopted the alphabet invented by the brothers Cyril and Methodius, and the Slavic language as the language of the church. It happened naturally, because the Romanians did not yet have their own - Romanian-writing.

Being dependent on the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Romanian metropolitanates affirmed and strengthened Orthodoxy among their nation, and also took care of the unity of faith with all Orthodoxy. In recognition of the ecclesiastical merits of the Romanian metropolitanates and their significance in the history of Orthodoxy, the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1776 awarded the Ungro-Walachian (Ungro-Vlachian) metropolitan, who was the first honored metropolitan in its hierarchy, with an honorary title that he retains to this day - Viceroy of Caesarea in Cappadocia, the historical see where St. Basil the Great.

However, from the XV to the beginning of the XVIII centuries. dependence on Constantinople was rather nominal, although from the middle of the 17th century. (until XIX), the metropolitans of the Romanian Church were called Exarchs of the Patriarch of Constantinople, which was also included in their church-legal collections (for example, in the Pilot Book of 1652). Romanian metropolitans were elected by local bishops and princes. The patriarch was only informed of this and asked for his blessings. In all the internal affairs of the administration of the Church, the Romanian metropolitans were completely independent; even in case of transgression in church affairs, they were not subject to the jurisdiction of the Patriarch, but to the court of 12 bishops of the Romanian principalities. For violation of state laws, they were judged by a mixed court, consisting of 12 bishops and 12 boyars.

The Romanian metropolitans had a great influence on the course of civil affairs. They acted as the main advisers to their sovereigns, in the absence of the ruler, they chaired state councils. During the decision of the most important judicial and criminal cases in the presence of the ruler himself, the first voice was given by the metropolitan.

It is difficult to say how many dioceses the Romanian Church consisted of in the first centuries of its existence; they were probably few and far between. As a result of this, auxiliary bodies of diocesan authority for supervising the order of church life, the so-called "protopopiates", were widely developed. Protopopov was appointed by diocesan bishops. Such an organization of the Romanian Church testifies to the fact that church life in Romania since ancient times stood on a firm path of development in the national spirit. But the enslavement of Romania by the Turks disrupted the normal course of church life in the country.

3. Romanian Orthodox Church under Ottoman rule:

In the 15th and first half of the 16th centuries, Wallachia and Moldavia waged a hard struggle with the Ottoman Empire, which sought to subjugate these Danubian principalities. From the second half of the 16th century, the dependence of Moldavia and Wallachia on the Ottoman Empire increased. Although, until the beginning of the 18th century, Wallachia and Moldavia were ruled by their princes (rulers), the situation of their population was extremely difficult. Since the 18th century, it has worsened even more. The fact is that in 1711, Emperor Peter I, in alliance with the Moldavian and Wallachian rulers, undertook the Prut campaign against the Turks. As the Romanian chronicler of the 17th-18th centuries (I. Nekul-cha) testifies, for the solemn meeting of the emperor, the boyars and honorable old townspeople, led by Metropolitan Gideon, together with all the clergy, went outside the city of Iasi, where they bowed to Peter I with great joy, giving praise God that at last the time has come to deliver them from Turkish yoke. But the Romanians' joy was premature. The trip ended in failure. Having proved victorious, the Turks did not stand on ceremony with the recalcitrant and defenseless "raya" and brutally dealt with her. The Wallachian prince Brynko-Vyanu and his three young sons were brought to Constantinople and in 1714 were publicly executed by beheading. In 1711 and then in 1716, the Turks gave Moldavia and Wallachia under the undivided power of the Phanariot Greeks.

The rule of the Phanariotes, which lasted more than a century, is one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Orthodox Romanian people. Buying themselves power over the country, the Phanariot princes sought to more than compensate for the costs incurred; the population was subjected to systematic exactions, which led to its impoverishment. “Guided by animal instinct alone,” Bishop testifies. Arseny, - the Phanariots subordinated to their rude arbitrariness all the property and life of their new subjects ... A lot of blood of the Romanians was shed in their reign; they indulged in all kinds of torture and torture; the slightest offense was punished as a crime; law was replaced by arbitrariness; twenty times the ruler could accuse and acquit in one and the same case; having no significance and power, the people's representatives met only formally. The Romanian people were deeply offended and offended by the vile Phanariot system, whose despotism suppressed the nationality and plunged the whole country into ignorance, exhausting its funds with arbitrary taxes, with which they satisfied the greed of the officials of the Porte and enriched themselves and their servants, who aspired to the principalities for rich booty. The moral corruption brought by the Phanariots has penetrated all strata of the Romanian people.

But the hardest thing was that, in an effort to create a Greek kingdom from the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula to replace the fallen Byzantium, the Phanariot princes tried in every possible way to plant Greek culture here and suppress everything national and original, including the Romanian people. The masses of the Greek population of the "middle and lower classes went to live in Moldavia-Wallachia as in the promised land", where the princes of their nationality ruled. The Hellenization of the Romanian people was assisted by the Phanariot princes and the Greek hierarchy.

If earlier the dependence of the Church of Moldavia and Wallachia on the Patriarch of Constantinople was nominal, now Greeks were appointed bishops, services in the cities were performed in Greek, etc. True, the lower clergy continued to remain national, but it was so humbled and, one might say, powerless, which was not able to have a significant educational impact on their people. Together with the peasantry, it had to bear all state duties, as well as pay taxes to the treasury.

The simony that developed in the country also undermined the normal course of church life. Some Greek bishops, having been appointed to a lucrative position for money, tried to recoup their costs by sending to church posts anyone who could contribute a significant amount of money to their treasury. In pursuit of profit, they placed in the country such a number of priests that were not caused by real needs. As a result, many unemployed priests appeared, who, like our former sacral priests, roamed the country, offering their services for daily bread and dropping even lower the already low spiritual dignity.

Russia carried the liberation of the suffering people of the Balkans. The Russo-Turkish wars that began in 1768, the scene of which was usually Moldavia and Wallachia, had a great influence on these principalities, awakening bright hope for the future. Each Russian campaign against the Turks aroused the general joy of the Romanians, and they fearlessly joined the victorious regiments of Orthodox Russia in masses. Already the first Russian-Turkish war during the reign of Catherine II ended in 1774 with the Kuchuk-Kainarzhiysky treaty, which was very favorable for the Romanians.

According to this agreement, an amnesty was declared to all Romanians who acted during the war against the Porte; freedom of Christian religion was granted within the Turkish Empire; previously confiscated lands were returned; the sovereigns of Moldavia and Wallachia were allowed to have their attorneys of the Orthodox confession in Constantinople. In addition, Russia stipulated the right to patronize the principalities in the event of their clashes with the Turkish authorities. The second liberation war between Russia and Turkey (1787–1791), which followed soon after, ended with the Treaty of Iasi of 1791, which confirmed the terms of the previous agreement with respect to the Danubian principalities and, in addition, the Romanians were granted a two-year tax relief. But, naturally, the Romanians strove for complete liberation from the Turkish and Phanariot yoke. They saw the fulfillment of their cherished aspirations in joining Russia.

A consistent spokesman for these aspirations was an outstanding Moldavian figure, Metropolitan of the early 19th century, Veniamin Costakis. Being a Romanian by nationality and a true patriot, Metropolitan Veniamin always expressed the innermost aspirations of the Romanians in their relationship to Russia. When a new Russo-Turkish war broke out at the beginning of the 19th century (1806–1812 and Russian troops soon entered Moldavia), on June 27, 1807, Emperor Alexander I was given the following address, signed in Iasi by the metropolitan himself and twenty of the most noble boyars “Destroy the unbearable rule (Turkish ), breathing oppression to this poor people (Moldovans). Connect the rule of this land with your God-protected power ... Let there be one flock and one shepherd, and then let's call it: "this is the golden age of our state." This is with all my heart common to this people prayer". Metropolitan Veniamin energetically counteracted the influence of the Phanariots on the Romanian people. To this end, in 1804, he established not far from the city of Iasi, in the Sokol Monastery, the Theological Seminary, in which teaching was conducted in Romanian; the metropolitan himself often preached, took care of publishing books of dogmatic and religious-moral content in his native language.The purpose of his works, he set an increase in the intellectual and moral level of the Romanians. But the Phanariots were then still strong and were able to deprive the Saint of the pulpit.

In order to put the affairs of the Romanian Orthodox Church in proper order, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church during their stay in Moldavia and Wallachia (1808 - 1812) decided to temporarily annex its eparchy to the Russian Church. Gabriel (Banulescu-Bodoni) "to be called again a member of the Holy Synod and its exarch in Moldavia, Wallachia and Bessarabia." According to prof. I. N. Shabtina, “historians evaluate this act as very wise: the Moldavian-Vlachian dioceses freed themselves from subordination to the Patriarchate of Constantinople”, which was at that time in the hands of the Phanariots. These dioceses received in the person of Gabriel, a Romanian by nationality, an intelligent and energetic church figure. For three or four years he did a great job. “He found a terrible picture: most of the Greek bishops did not visit churches,” the Holy Gifts were kept without due reverence; "many priests did not know the order of the liturgy and were simply illiterate".

Metropolitan Gabriel brought churches into the same condition as they were in Russia: he introduced registers of birth and income and expenditure books, limited the number of priestly appointments to actual necessity, demanded a certain educational qualification from persons aspiring to the priesthood, transformed the Theological Seminary in Sokol Monastery on the model of Russian seminaries, with the teaching of the Russian language in it. Metropolitan Gabriel tried with all his strength and means at his disposal to improve the position of the clergy, to raise their authority, instilling in everyone due respect for the holders of the holy order. The saint also entered into a struggle with the requisitions of Phanariots in the so-called “bowed” monasteries, in which the abbots, in an effort to get out of submission to the exarch Gabriel, asked the Patriarch of Constantinople for a “singelia” (letter), freeing the abbots of these monasteries not only from reporting, but also from any control by the Exarchate. Metropolitan Gabriel encountered many difficulties in his useful church activity, but he achieved victory over the enemies of the Romanian National Church. In 1812, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, Moldavia and Wallachia again fell under the Turkish and Phanariot yoke, after which the same disorders that the Exarch fought against began to revive.

With their attitude towards the Romanians, the Phanariots aroused such indignation in them that the Romanians during the Morean uprising of the Greeks (1821) helped the Turks to suppress the rebels. As if in gratitude for this, and mainly counting on support in the future, the Sultan in 1822 granted the request of the Moldavian and Wallachian boyars to restore the right to elect the Romanian rulers. From this moment begins a new era for Romania. Her political dependence on Turkey begins to weaken, as she elects for herself the princes of her nationality. There is a strong rise in the national spirit: Romanian schools for the people are being established; the Greek language is eliminated from worship and replaced by the native; Romanian youth rush to get an education abroad.

The latter circumstance had an unfavorable effect on the younger generation, tore it away from native traditions and set it on the path of slavish enthusiasm for the West, especially France, its language and ideological currents. The new Romanian intelligentsia, brought up in the West, began to show a hostile attitude towards the Orthodox Church. Hatred for the Phanariots, who professed the Orthodox religion, was unfairly transferred to Orthodoxy. Now Orthodoxy has received the name of "Phanariotic culture", a "dead institution" that is destroying the people, excluding the possibility of progress and dooming them to gradual dying.

As A. P. Lopukhin testifies, "the hostile attitude towards Orthodoxy did not fail to be reflected in the attitude of the Romanian intelligentsia towards Russia." There was “a suspicion among the extreme nationalists that Russia harbors a secret intention to completely absorb Romania and turn it into her province, completely losing sight of the fact that Russia itself took care of founding public schools, a theater in them, gave Romania an organic Statute of 1831, drawn up in the sense preservation of the Romanian nationality". In 1853, when Russian troops crossed the Prut and approached the Danube, the Romanian principalities even "offered Turkey to occupy them and form a people's army in order to oppose Russia."

4. The Orthodox Church in Wallachia and Moldova, united in a single state of Romania:

The movement against the Orthodox Church found support in the Romanian government. In 1859, the principalities of Wallachia and Moldova (a historical region within the Moldavian principality) were united into one state - Romania. Under pressure from France, Alexander Cuza was elected prince. He carried out a series of reforms which were explained in the earlier ecclesiastical literature as directed exclusively against the Orthodox Church. But the current Romanian professors of the Theological Institutes argue that Cuza only sought to correct the abuses of the Church. The church, they say, was too rich and forgot its goals, which is why Cuza's reforms are justified. Russian church historians expressed the following view of Cuza's activities and the attitude towards them of the most prominent hierarchs of the Romanian Church of that time.

Cuza confiscated in favor of the state all movable and immovable property of the monasteries. The law adopted in 1863 by the Romanian Chamber read: “Art. 1. All property of Romanian monasteries constitutes state property. Art. 2. Income from these properties will be included in the ordinary income of the state budget. Art. 3. To the Holy Places, to which some of the native monasteries were dedicated, a certain amount will be assigned, in the form of an allowance, according to the purpose of the benefactors ... Art. 6. The government will take from the Greek abbots jewelry, books and consecrated vessels donated by our pious ancestors to these institutions, as well as documents entrusted to these abbots, according to the inventory stored in the archives ... "

As a result of this event, many monasteries were closed, some had to stop their educational and charitable activities. In 1865, without the consent of the Patriarch of Constantinople, the autocephaly of the Romanian Church was proclaimed. The administration of the Church was entrusted to the "General National Synod", which included all the Romanian bishops and three deputies from the clergy and laity from each diocese. The synod had the right to meet only once every two years, and even then it could not itself make any important determination: in all its actions and undertakings, it was subordinate to secular power. Metropolitans and bishops were elected and appointed at the direction of the prince. In addition, elements of Western confessions began to be introduced into Orthodoxy: the Gregorian calendar was spread; to allow the sound of the organ and the singing of the Creed with the Filioque during the service; broad freedom was also given to Protestant proselytism. “The government of Prince A. Kuza,” remarks F. Kurganov, “undertaking reforms in the Church, set itself the task of erasing by all means all traces of the former “Phanarotic” enlightenment, the former “Phanarotic” culture and the customs instilled through it, as completely alien to the spiritual the nature of the Romanians, - instead of the "Phanariot" culture, as vicious and corrupting, to fully accept the culture of the European West, of which the Romanian nation has its Western, Latin origin as a permanent member, and thus give it the opportunity to keep its own characteristics pure, to develop according to them, and not according to principles imposed on it from the outside ... The Protestant sects of the West were given complete freedom in the administration of their religion, they even received some kind of patronage, apparently aimed at strengthening them and spreading among the Orthodox Romanian people.

Patriarch Sophronius of Constantinople made sharp protests against the newly appeared autocephaly. One after another, he sent letters of protest to Prince Alexander Cuza, Metropolitan of Wallachia and Locum Tenens of the Metropolia of Moldova. A special message was also sent to the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church with a call to provide spiritual assistance "to put an end to the dangerous state of affairs that is drawing into the abyss of death this (Orthodox Romanian. - K. S.) Christian people, whose blood will be exacted at our hands".

The Holy Synod of the Russian Church, before responding to Constantinople, instructed Filaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, to submit his response to the aforementioned message. The Moscow hierarch, having subjected it to a detailed analysis, came to the conclusion that the desire of the Romanian government to make its Church autocephalous is legitimate and natural, but that this desire was declared in a far from legal way. On the other hand, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who protested against the committed by the Romanians, conducted the matter, according to Metropolitan Philaret, tactlessly: instead of words of peace and advice to consider the matter of declaring autocephaly together with other Local Churches, he resorted in his message to harsh expressions, able not to calm down, but even more to irritate the dissatisfied.

In the official response of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Patriarch of Constantinople, it was stated that the establishment of a “general” Romanian Synod “exceeds the measure of secular power and requires the judgment and approval of the highest Council in the Church, and especially the Patriarch, to whose area belongs the Church establishing the new Synod” . The position that “the Metropolitan of Romania presides in the Synod in the name of the Lord” is recognized as anti-canonical and anti-evangelical (Compare Lk. 10:16; Mt. 18:20). "The Metropolitan and other members of the Synod are present in it in the name of Christ and the Apostles." The appointment of bishops by one secular authority, without electing an ecclesiastical one, is also recognized as anti-canonical. “Those who have accepted such an appointment should place themselves before the thirtieth rule of the holy Apostles and think with fear: whether they will receive true sanctification and extend it to the flock.” At the end of the message, it was said that the best way to end the disagreements that had arisen could be a word of love and peace addressed to the Romanians. “Will there still be a means,” suggested the Holy Synod, “with the word of this love and conviction, firm in church truth, to encourage those who hesitate to approve, to lead the matter on the path of peaceful consultations, and to protect the immutability of the essential by some indulgence to the permissible.”

The government's anti-canonical measures were criticized prominent figures of the Romanian Orthodox Church: Metropolitan Sofroniy, Bishops Filaret and Neofit Skribany, later Bishop Melchizedek of Romance, Bishop Sylvester of Khush, Metropolitan Joseph of Moldova and other representatives of the clergy.

Metropolitan Sofroniy (1861) was a graduate of the Neamets Lavra, a tonsured and a student of Metropolitan Veniamin Costakis.

Heading the Metropolis of Moldova during the reign of Prince A. Cuza, Sofroniy fearlessly gave his rich preaching talent to the defense of the Church. The Romanian government sent him into exile, but the struggle did not stop. Other self-sacrificing defenders of Orthodoxy came forward from among the hierarchs. They are headed by the great hierarch of the Romanian land Filaret Scriban (1873). Describing this hierarch, the Romanian academician prof. Const. Yerbiceanu says: “If at the present time Romania has its defender, its apologist for Christianity, then it is he; if anyone among us boasts of the knowledge of Christianity, then this is wholly indebted to him; if now there are still lamps in the Romanian Church in some places, then these are his children; if, finally, there is still a Christian life between us, then we should be entirely grateful to Filaret for this. “And this characteristic,” adds A. P. Lopukhin, “is not at all exaggerated.”

Filaret was born in the family of a parish priest. Having excellently graduated from the Iasi Theological School, he worked for some time in it as a teacher of geography and French, then in two years he successfully completed the full course of the Kyiv Theological Academy. In the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Filaret became a monk. During his stay in Moscow for about two months he was a guest of the Moscow Metropolitan Filaret. After returning to his homeland, Filaret headed the Sokol Iasi Theological Seminary for twenty years, which he raised to a high level. For his learning and deeply meaningful sermons, he received in Romania the name "Professor of Professors." Prince A. Cuza offered the talented bishop the post of Metropolitan of Moldova, and his brother Neophyte the post of Metropolitan of Wallachia, thus wishing to win them over to his side. But both of them resolutely refused to accept the appointment from the secular ruler and fearlessly opposed the church reforms of the prince. Once, during a meeting of the Synod, in the presence of the prince himself, Bishop Filaret brought down a church curse on him for the law on the confiscation of monastic property. Filaret appealed to the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church with a request to assist in the deposition of those bishops who were appointed by the will of the Romanian secular authorities.

Philaret's brother Neofit (+ 1884) also appeared at one of the sessions of the Synod with the intention of expressing reproach to the government for its orders on the affairs of the Church. Having announced his protest, he laid the manuscript on the table and silently left the room.

With the struggle against the anti-canonical measures of the government, the Skribans brothers also combined academic activities. In this regard, Filaret and Neophyte rendered a great service to their Church and fatherland, as they wrote and translated (mainly from Russian) into Romanian many works. They compiled textbooks for almost all school subjects. In addition, Bishop Neophyte owns: Historical essays (include a general history, including the history of Romanians), A Brief History of the Moldavian Metropolitans and evidence of the autocephaly of the Moldavian Metropolis (the essay was used to assert the autocephaly of the Romanian Church), etc. Bishop Filaret wrote : Brief Romanian Church History, Extensive Romanian Church History (in six volumes; Filaret collected material for this work when he was a student at the Kiev Theological Academy), various works of critical and polemical direction.

The bold accusers of Prince Cuza were excluded from participation in church affairs. The protests of the Patriarch of Constantinople against the violence went unanswered.

Cuza's arbitrariness eventually led to the fact that in 1866 he was arrested in his own palace by conspirators who demanded his immediate resignation, and the Western powers replaced Cuza with a relative of the Prussian king, the Catholic Karl. In 1872, a new "Law on the election of metropolitans and diocesan bishops, as well as on the organization of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Romanian Church" was issued. Under this "Law" the Romanian Church was given more freedom. The synod was given a new structure, according to which only bishops could be its members, the name of the Synod of Bishops "General, National", borrowed from the Protestant church system, was canceled. The once all-powerful Minister of Confessions received only an advisory vote in the Synod. But even now the Church has not received complete freedom from government oppression.

The most important issue of the church and at the same time public life Romania, subject to the decision of the new prince, was the receipt by the Romanian Church of legal autocephaly. Using the example of his predecessor, Prince Karl became convinced that this issue could be resolved favorably only through peaceful negotiations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Wasting no time, he submitted to the Patriarch of Constantinople a draft of the proclamation of the autocephaly of the Romanian Church with a request to consider it. However, in Constantinople they were in no hurry. Things moved forward only after the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, when Romania gained complete political independence from the Sultan. In response to a new request from the Synod of the Romanian Church, Patriarch Joachim III of Constantinople, together with his Synod, drew up an act declaring the Romanian Church autocephalous. It would seem that everything finally came to the desired, legitimate result. However, it happened a little differently. The fact is that the Church of Constantinople, while granting autocephaly to the Romanian Orthodox Church, reserved the right to send Holy Myrrh to it. But the Romanian church leaders strove for complete church independence, in connection with which they themselves consecrated the Holy Myrrh in the Bucharest Cathedral with a confluence of many people. In order to give this act great importance and solemnity, a special Act was drawn up, which stated when and by whom the consecration was performed. The Act emphasized that it was done "in accordance with the holy canons and decrees of the Orthodox Church." According to the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church, the independent consecration of the Holy Myrrh was to eliminate the influence of the Greeks on the church affairs of Romania and put an end to all attempts at the independent existence of the Romanian Church. It is precisely this that explains the special solemnity of the consecration of the world and the drawing up of a special Act for this occasion. Having learned about this act of the Romanian hierarchs, Patriarch Joachim III not only did not send the Act on the recognition of the autocephaly of the Romanian Church, but also condemned this act as breaking the unity with the "Great Church". The Synod of the Romanian Church saw in the protest of the Patriarch of Constantinople his claims to the ecumenical supremacy in the Church and was not slow to respond. " church rules do not time the consecration of the World to any one Patriarch, - answered the members of the Synod of the Romanian Church to Patriarch Joachim III. - During visits to Romania by other Eastern Patriarchs, the rulers invited them to consecrate the World. Until recently, even vessels for the consecration of the World were kept, but then, when the Greek abbots left the country, these vessels, along with other valuables, disappeared somewhere. In later times, Miro was received even from Kyiv. Then, chrismation is a sacrament, and the Church must possess all the means to perform the sacrament for the exaltation of the Christian life. The search for this means of sanctification in other Churches would mean that this Church does not possess the fullness of the means for sanctification and salvation. The consecration of the World is therefore an inalienable attribute of any Autocephalous Church.

Only with the accession to the Patriarchal Throne of the new Patriarch Joachim IV did the protracted matter of declaring autocephaly come to an end. On the occasion of the enthronement of Patriarch Joachim IV in 1884, Metropolitan Kallinik of Ungro-Walachia sent him a fraternal greeting, followed by a message asking him to bless and “recognize the Autocephalous Church of the Romanian Kingdom as his sister of the same mind and faith in everything, so that both the clergy and the pious people of Romania would acquire the great strength of the religious feeling that lives in the hearts of all the Orthodox of the East, and to communicate this event to the other three Patriarchal Sees of the East and all other Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, so that they, too, express greetings and rejoice at the Romanian Church, as a sister of one mind and Orthodox, and continue to preserve fraternal communion with her in the Holy Spirit and the unity of faith. These actions of the Metropolitan hastened the deportation of the document she needed to the Romanian Church. On May 13, 1885, in Bucharest, this document (Tomos Sinodikos) was solemnly read. The text of the Tomos is as follows:

“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. “No one can lay foundations for anything else,” says the great apostle of the tongues Paul, “more than one who lies down, even though there is Jesus Christ.” And the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, always built on this only one strong and unshakable foundation, keeps the unity of faith inseparable in the union of love. Thus, when this unity remains unchanged and remains unshakable in all ages, then it is permissible, according to ecclesiastical consideration, to make changes in matters relating to the government of the Churches, in relation to the organization of the regions and the degree of their dignity. On this basis, the Most Holy Great Christ Church, blessing very willingly and in the spirit of peace and love the changes considered necessary in the spiritual management of the local holy Churches, establishes them for the better building of the faithful. And so, inasmuch as His Eminence and Venerable Metropolitan of the Ungro-Vlachian Kir Kallinikos, on behalf of the sacred assembly of the holy Romanian bishops and with the permission of His Majesty the King of Romania and his royal government, on reasonable and legal grounds, through a message transmitted and certified by the Excellency Minister of Church Affairs and public enlightenment of Romania by Mr. Dimitri Sturdza, asked our Church for blessings and recognition of the Church of the Romanian Kingdom as autocephalous, then our dimension agreed to this request, as fair and consistent with church laws, and, having considered it together with the Holy Synod of Beloveds that exists with us in the Holy Spirit of our brothers and colleagues, declares that the Romanian Orthodox Church shall remain, be considered and be recognized by all as independent and autocephalous, governed by its own Holy Synod, under the chairmanship of the most venerable and most venerable Metropolitan of Ungro-Blach and Exarch of all Romania, who is presently present, recognizing in its own internal administration no other ecclesiastical authority, except for the very Head of the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the God-Man Redeemer, Who alone is the main, cornerstone and eternal Bishop and Archpastor. And so, recognizing through this sacred Patriarchal and Synodal deed, thus established on the cornerstone of faith and pure teaching, which the Fathers also handed down to us intact, the strongly guarded Orthodox Church of the Romanian Kingdom, autocephalous and self-governing in everything, we proclaim her Holy Synod beloved brother in Christ who enjoys all the privileges and all sovereign rights assigned to the Autocephalous Church, so that he performs and builds all church amenities and order and all other church buildings without restriction and with complete freedom, in accordance with the constant and uninterrupted tradition of the Catholic Orthodox Church, to be recognized as such and other Orthodox Churches in the universe and that it be named after the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church. But in order for the union of spiritual unity and connection of the holy Churches of God to remain unchanged in everything - for we are taught to “observe the unity of the spirit in the union of the world”, - the Holy Synod of Romania must remember in sacred diptychs, according to anciently from the holy and God-bearing Fathers to the devotional custom, the Ecumenical and other Patriarchs and all Orthodox saints of the Church of God, and communicate directly with the Ecumenical and with other Holy Patriarchs and with all Orthodox saints Churches of God in all important canonical and dogmatic issues that need a general discussion, according to ancient times from the Fathers sacred custom. He also has the right to ask and receive from our Great Church of Christ everything that other Autocephalous Churches have the right to ask and receive from her. The President of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church must, upon entering the cathedra, send the necessary synodal letters to the Ecumenical and other Most Holy Patriarchs and to all the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, and he himself has the right to receive all this from them. And so, on the basis of all this, our holy and great Church of Christ blesses from the depths of her soul the autocephalous and beloved sister in Christ - the Romanian Church and calls on the pious people, on the God-protected kingdom of Romania, abundant from inexhaustible treasures Heavenly Father His divine gifts and mercy, wishing them and their children in childbirth every good and salvation in everything. But the God of peace, having raised from the dead a Shepherd to the sheep of the great blood of the eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ, may this holy Church accomplish in every good work, do His will, doing in it what is pleasing before Him by Jesus Christ; To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. - Flight from the Nativity of Christ one thousand eight hundred and eighty-fifth, April 23 ".

In the same year, 1885, when the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church was declared, a new state law on the Church was issued, restricting its activities. This law forbade members of the Holy Synod to participate in any meetings to discuss church affairs, except for meetings of the Holy Synod, and also to travel abroad without special permission from the government. By this they tried to limit the activities of the Romanian hierarchs in order to prevent them from joining with the bishops of other Orthodox Churches and unanimously fighting for holy Orthodoxy.

The anti-church spirit, unfortunately, also penetrated some of the clergy, giving rise among them to such an abnormal phenomenon as "Protestant bishops." Especially distinguished in this respect was Bishop Kallistrat Orlyanu (a graduate of the University of Athens), who performed baptism by dousing and did not recognize monasticism, considering it a barbaric institution.

5. Prominent hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church

Fortunately for the Orthodox Romanian people, they found worthy archpastors. Such were Melchizedek Romansky (Stefanescu) and Sylvester Cushsky (Balanescu), both students of Filaret Scriban.

Melchizedek (Stefanescu), Bishop of Romansky (1892), a graduate of the Kyiv Theological Academy, acted mainly as a talented publicist and pundit in defending the rights of the Orthodox Church. First of all, he wrote the following reports: Answer of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on the question of the consecration of the World, Papism and the current situation of the Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Romania (it points to the danger threatening the Orthodox Church from the propaganda of Catholicism and the obligation of the Synod to protect its Church from falling); two reports devoted to scientific criticism of Protestantism: "On the Orthodox Church in the struggle against Protestantism and especially against Calvinism in the 17th century and on two councils in Moldavia against the Calvinists"; On the Veneration of Holy Icons and Miraculous Icons in the Orthodox Church. In the last essay, the story of the miraculous fact of the appearance of the weeping miraculous icon of the Mother of God (located in the church of the Sokolsky Monastery) that occurred in early February 1854, witnessed by the bishop himself and many others, is of interest. Bishop Melchizedek also owns detailed monographs: Lipovanism, that is, Russian schismatics, or schismatics and heretics (introduces the doctrine of schismatics and sectarians, the reasons for their occurrence, etc.); "Chronicles" of the Khush and Roman bishoprics (a summary of the events of these dioceses by year in the 15th-19th centuries); Hryhoriy Tsamblak (research on the Metropolitan of Kiev); Visiting some monasteries and ancient churches of Bukovina (historical and archaeological description), etc.

Bishop Melchizedek considered the improvement of the spiritual enlightenment of the clergy and people to be the most important means in the fight against currents harmful to the Church. In this regard, he founded the "Orthodox Romanian Society", which was charged with the following duties: to translate into Romanian and distribute writings in defense of Orthodoxy; to help candidates for the priesthood to acquire theological knowledge in Orthodox Theological Schools; to establish educational institutions in the spirit of Orthodoxy for boys and girls. By the care of Bishop Melchi-sedek, the Faculty of Theology was established at the University of Bucharest, in which future clerics of the Romanian Orthodox Church received higher theological education.

Sylvester (Balanescu), Bishop of Cush (1900) - also a graduate of the Kyiv Theological Academy - even before taking the episcopal chair, heading the Theological Schools, he trained many convinced pastors of the Church and public figures of the country. Being consecrated as a bishop, he boldly stood up for the defense of the Church. Speaking in the Senate, Bishop Sylvester made a great impression with his talented speeches and often inclined the legislative assembly in favor of the Church. The principal conviction of the Bishop of Khush was that the religious and moral upsurge of society is possible only with its close cooperation with the Church.

A noticeable mark was left by Bishop Sylvester in the field of literature. Being the editor of the synodal journal "Biserika Orthodoxa Romana", he published many of his articles in it, such as: "On the Rules of the Holy Apostles", "On the Sacraments", "On moral law”, “On the feasts of the Holy Orthodox Church”, etc. His sermons and pastoral letters were published in a separate collection.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Metropolitan Joseph of Moldova acted as an energetic champion of the Romanian Orthodox Church, defender of its canonical institutions and communion with other Orthodox Churches.

Of the ecclesiastical figures of the 20th century, Metropolitan Irinei of Moldova (1949) and Metropolitan Nicholas of Transylvania (1955) should be mentioned. Both are doctors of theology and philosophy, authors of many scientific works. Metropolitan Nicolai after the First World War zealously contributed to the annexation of Transylvania to Romania.

6. Church reforms at the beginning of the 20th century

In the spring of 1907, a powerful peasant uprising took place in Romania, in which many priests also took part. This forced the Church and the state to carry out a series of church reforms. The Synodal Law of 1872 was revised in the direction of expanding the principle of catholicity in the management of the Church and involving, as far as possible, wider circles of the clergy in the management of church affairs. Basically, the following three issues were resolved: 1) expansion of the contingent of clerics from among whom diocesan bishops are elected (the law of 1872 provided for their election only from among the titular ones); 2) the abolition of the institution of titular bishops (who do not have a diocese); 3) the creation of the Supreme Church Consistory, which would include not only members of the Holy Synod, which consisted only of clergy with a monastic rank, but also white clergy and laity. Legislative and administrative measures were taken to improve the financial situation white clergy, raising its educational level, as well as streamlining the economic condition and discipline in the monasteries.

7. Metropolises of Sibius and Bukovina

After the First World War, the Romanian Church included two independent metropolises that existed until that time: Sibiu and Bukovina.

1. The Sibius (otherwise Germanstadt, or Transylvanian) metropolis included the regions of Transylvania and Banat.

The Transylvanian metropolis was founded in 1599, when the Wallachian prince Michael, having taken possession of this area, achieved the appointment of Metropolitan John. However, here, as in the previous time under the Hungarian domination, the Calvinists continued to conduct active propaganda. They were replaced in 1689, along with the Austrian rule, by the Catholics. In 1700, Metropolitan Athanasius, with part of the clergy and flock, joined the Roman Church. The Transylvanian Orthodox metropolis was destroyed, instead of it, a Uniate Romanian bishopric was established, subordinate to the Hungarian primate. The Romanians who remained faithful to Orthodoxy continued to fight against Catholicism. Without their own bishop, they received priests from Wallachia, Moldavia, and from the Serbian bishopric in Hungary. At the insistence of Russia, Orthodox Romanians were allowed to enter into the canonical subordination of the Bishop of Budim, who was under the jurisdiction of the Karlovtsy Metropolitan. In 1783, the Romanians achieved the restoration of their episcopacy. A Serb was made bishop, and in 1811 a Romanian, Vasile Moga (1811–1846). At first, the episcopal see was located in the village of Reshinari, near the city of Hermannstadt (now the city of Sibiu), and under Vasily Moga it was transferred to the city of Hermannstadt (Sibiu), which is why the Transylvanian Church is also called Hermannstadt, or Sibiu. The Transylvanian Bishop remained under the jurisdiction of the Karlovac Metropolitan.

The Sibiusian Church reached its peak under the highly educated Metropolitan Andrei Shagun (1848–1873). Thanks to his work, up to 400 parochial schools, several gymnasiums and lyceums were opened in Transylvania; Since 1850, a printing house (which is still operating) began to operate in Sibiu, and since 1853, the newspaper Telegraful Romyn began to appear. Among many theological works on the history of the Church, pastoral theology, he owns the work "Canonical Law", which was translated into Russian and published in 1872 in St. Petersburg. Metropolitan Andrey is also known for his church-administrative activities, in particular, he convened the Church-People's Council, which considered the issue of church unification of all Orthodox Romanians in Austria. Since 1860, the Orthodox Romanians of Transylvania, led by him, have been petitioning the Austrian government for the establishment of church independence with unflagging energy. Despite the opposition of the Karlovac Patriarchate, according to the imperial decree of December 24, 1864, an independent Romanian Orthodox Metropolis was established with the residence of the metropolitan in Sibiu. Its primate received the title of "Metropolitan of all the Romanian people found in the Austrian state and Archbishop of Hermanstadt." In 1869, by decree of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, the Romanian National Church Congress was convened, which adopted the Statute of the Metropolis, which was called the Organic Statute. The Hermannstadt Church was guided by this Statute until the last time of its existence.

In its jurisdiction, the metropolis had: the Arad and Karansebes bishoprics and two bishoprics in the eastern Banat.

2. The current region of Bukovina used to be part of the Moldavian Principality. In Bukovina there was the bishopric of Radovets-kai (founded in 1402 by the Moldavian prince Alexander Dobry) with many churches, subordinate to the metropolitan of Moldavia, and after the occupation of this region by Austria in 1783, it was subordinate, like the Sibiu bishopric, to the Karlovac metropolitan. The Austrian emperor elected the Bukovina (or Chernivtsi - according to the place of the cathedra) bishop, and the Karlovtsy Metropolitan ordained. The Bishop of Bukovina had the right to participate in the meetings of the Synod of the Metropolitan of Karlovtsy, but due to the inconvenience associated with the journey, he almost did not attend them. However, if the dependence on the Karlovac Metropolitan was small, the dependence on the Austrian government was felt very much. Under the influence of the Sibiusian Metropolitan Andrei Shaguna, a movement also began in Bukovina for secession from the Karlovac Metropolis and unification with the Transylvanian Church into a single Romanian Metropolis. But the unification did not take place, and in 1873 the Austrian authorities elevated the Bukovina bishopric to the rank of an independent metropolis with the subordination of the Dalmatian diocese to it, which is why it received the name "Bukovina-Dalmatian metropolis".

Two years later (1875) a university was founded in Chernivtsi and, under it, the Greek-Oriental Theological Faculty. In 1900, the university celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. On this occasion, a jubilee edition was published, which describes the history of the founding of the university, its activities, as well as the structure of its faculties, including the structure of the Orthodox Theological Faculty.

It should be noted that after the annexation of Bukovina to Austria (late 18th-early 19th century), many Romanians moved to Moldova, and Ukrainians from Galicia came to Bukovina. In 1900, there were 500,000 Orthodox people in Bukovina, of which 270,000 Ukrainians and 230,000 Romanians. Despite this, the Bukovina church was considered Romanian. Bishops and metropolitans were elected from Romanians. The Ukrainians sought to introduce their own language into worship, as well as to provide them with equal rights in church administration. However, their aspirations, supported by the Austrian government, caused only mutual dissatisfaction of both communities, which upset the life of the Bukovinian Church.

Dalmatian diocese, which is why it received the name "Bukovina-Dalmatian Metropolis".

Two years later (1875) a university was founded in Chernivtsi and, under it, the Greek-Oriental Theological Faculty. In 1900, the university celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. On this occasion, a jubilee edition was published, which describes the history of the founding of the university, its activities, as well as the structure of its faculties, including the structure of the Orthodox Theological Faculty.

The Bukovina-Dalmatia Metropolis had three dioceses: 1) Bukovina-Dalmatia and Chernivtsi; 2) Dalmatian-Istrian and 3) Boka-Kotor, Dubrovnik and Spichansk.

It should be noted that after the annexation of Bukovina to Austria (late 18th - early 19th century), many Romanians moved to Moldova, and Ukrainians from Galicia came to Bukovina. In 1900, there were 500,000 Orthodox people in Bukovina, of which 270,000 Ukrainians and 230,000 Romanians. Despite this, the Bukovina church was considered Romanian. Bishops and metropolitans were elected from Romanians. The Ukrainians sought to introduce their own language into worship, as well as to provide them with equal rights in church administration. However, their aspirations, supported by the Austrian government, caused only mutual dissatisfaction of both communities, which upset the life of the Bukovinian Church.

This continued until 1919, when the Church Council was convened, at which the unification of the dioceses of Romania, Transylvania and Bukovina took place. Bishop Miron of Caransebes (1910-1919) was elected Metropolitan-Primas (the title of Metropolitan-Primas was the Romanian First Hierarch from 1875 to 1925).

As for the Romanians-Uniates, their reunification with the Orthodox Church took place only in October 1948. This event will be discussed below.

8. Romanian Church-Patriarchy:

By the decision of the Holy Synod of February 4, 1925, the Romanian Orthodox Church was proclaimed a Patriarchate. This definition was recognized by the Local Orthodox Churches as canonical (the Patriarch of Constantinople recognized it as the Tomos of July 30, 1925). On November 1, 1925, the solemn elevation of the then Romanian Metropolitan-Primas Miron to the rank of His Beatitude Patriarch of All Romania, Viceroy of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, Archbishop of Bucharest took place.

In 1955, during the solemn celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the patriarchate in the Romanian Church, Patriarch Justinian, assessing this act, said: “The Romanian Orthodox Church ... was worthy of this special honor both in its past of Orthodox Christian life and in its position and role in today's Orthodoxy, being the second largest in the number of believers and largest in the bosom of Orthodoxy. This was necessary not only for the Romanian Church, but for Orthodoxy in general. Recognition of autocephaly and elevation to the rank of Patriarchy gave the Romanian Orthodox Church the opportunity to fulfill its religious and moral mission better and with greater benefit for Orthodoxy” (from the speech of the Patriarch. Archive of the DECR MP. Folder “Romanian Orthodox Church”, 1955).

His Beatitude Patriarch Miron led the Church until 1938. For some time he combined with the title of Primate of the Church the position of regent of the country.

From 1939 to 1948, the Romanian Orthodox Church was served by Patriarch Nikodim. He received his theological education at the Kyiv Theological Academy. His stay in Russia made him akin to the Russian Orthodox Church, for which he retained his sincere love for the rest of his life. Patriarch Nikodim is known theologically for his literary activity: he translated from Russian into Romanian A.P. Lopukhin's "Bible History" in six volumes, "Explanatory Bible" (Commentaries on all books of Holy Scripture), sermons of St. Demetrius of Rostov and others, and He is especially known for his concerns about Orthodox Church unity. The Saint died on February 27, 1948, at the age of 83.

In 1948-1977 the Romanian Orthodox Church was headed by Patriarch Justinian. He was born in 1901 in a peasant family with. Suesti in Oltenia. In 1923 he graduated from the Theological Seminary, after which he taught. In 1924 he was ordained a priest, and the following year he entered the Theological Faculty of the University of Bucharest, from which he graduated in 1929 with a degree in theology. Then he served as a pastor until 1945, when he was consecrated Bishop - Vicar of the Metropolis of Moldova and Suceava. In 1947, he became the metropolitan of this diocese, from where he was called to the post of Primate. Patriarch Justinian is known for his outstanding organizational skills. In all areas of church life, he introduced strict discipline and order. His pen belongs to: 11-volume work “Social Apostle. Examples and Instructions for the Clergy” (the last volume appeared in 1973), as well as “Gospel Commentary and Sunday Discourses” (1960, 1973). Since 1949 he was an honorary member of the Moscow Theological Academy, and since 1966 - and Leningrad. Patriarch Justinian died on March 26, 1977. According to the recall of the Greek press, he was "an outstanding personality not only in the Church of Romania, but in general in the Orthodox Church"; distinguished by "deep faith, devotion to the Church, his Christian life, theological training, writing qualities, commitment to the fatherland, and especially the organizational spirit, the signs of which are various institutions that contribute in many ways to the entire development of the Romanian Orthodox Church" .

In 1977-1986 Patriarch Justin was the primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He was born in 1910 in the family of a rural teacher. In 1930 he graduated with honors from the Seminary in Chimpulung-Muschel. He continued his education at the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens and the Theological Faculty of the Catholic Church in Strasbourg (eastern France), after which in 1937 he received the degree of Doctor of Theology. In 1938-1939 he taught the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament at the Orthodox Theological Faculty at the University of Warsaw and was a professor in the same department at the theological schools of Suceava and Bucharest (in 1940-1956). In 1956, he was consecrated as Metropolitan of Ardyal. In 1957, he was transferred to the Metropolis of Moldova and Suceava, from which he was called to the patriarchal ministry.

His Beatitude Patriarch Justin is known to the Christian world as an outstanding figure in Orthodoxy and the ecumenical movement. Even when he was the Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava, he was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, was elected one of the seven chairmen of the Conference of European Churches, and headed the delegation of his Church at the First Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference in 1976.

Since November 9 (election day), 1986, the Romanian Orthodox Church has been headed by His Beatitude Patriarch Theoktist (Teodor Arepasu in the world). On November 13, he was solemnly presented with the Decree of the President of Romania (then socialist), confirming his election as Patriarch, and on November 16, the celebrations of his enthronement took place in the Cathedral in honor of Saints Constantine and Helena Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Patriarch Feoktist was born in 1915 in a village in the northeast of Moldova. At the age of fourteen, he began monastic obedience in the monasteries of Vorona and Neamets, and in 1935 he received monastic tonsure at the Bystrica Monastery of the Jassy Archdiocese. In 1937, after graduating from the Seminary in the Chernika Monastery, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and in 1945, after graduating from the Bucharest Theological Faculty, he was ordained a hieromonk (he received the title of licentiate of theology). In the rank of archimandrite, he was the vicar of the Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava, studying at the same time at the Faculty of Philology and Philosophy in Iasi. In 1950, he was consecrated Bishop of Botosani, Vicar of the Patriarch, and for twelve years led various departments of the Romanian Patriarchate: he was the secretary of the Holy Synod, the rector of the Theological Institute in Bucharest. Since 1962, Feoktist has been Bishop of Arad, since 1973 - Archbishop of Craiova and Metropolitan of Olten, since 1977 - Archbishop of Jassy, ​​Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava. Occupying the Metropolis of Moldova and Suceava (the second most important after the Patriarchal), Feoktist showed special concern for the Theological Seminary in the Neamtsky Monastery, for pastoral and missionary courses for clergy, for special courses for the staff of the Metropolia, and expanded publishing activities.

His Beatitude Theoktist actively participated in inter-church, ecumenical, and peacemaking events. He repeatedly headed delegations of his Patriarchate that visited different Churches (in 1978, the Russian Church), and also accompanied Patriarch Justin.

His literary activity is also wide: he published about six hundred articles, speeches, some of which were included in the four-volume collection. The talent of the orator manifested itself both in the temple and during speeches as a deputy of the Great National Assembly.

In his speech after the enthronement, His Beatitude Patriarch Theoktist testified to Orthodoxy and declared that he would strengthen pan-Orthodox unity, promote common Christian unity, and pay attention to the preparation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. “At the same time,” he said, “our efforts will be aimed at familiarization and fraternal rapprochement with other religions, as well as openness to the problems of the world in which we live. Among these problems the world occupies the first place » .

Four months after the accession to the Patriarchal throne of Justinian - in October 1948 - a significant event took place in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church - the return to Orthodoxy of the Romanians of Transylvania, who in 1700 were forcibly drawn into the Catholic Church on the basis of the union. Submitting to the outwardly Catholic administration, the Romanians-Uniates for 250 years preserved Orthodox traditions and sought to return to their father's house. The reunion of them—over one and a half million in number—with the Mother Church spiritually strengthened the Romanian Orthodox Church and helped her continue her holy mission with new spiritual strength.

An important event in the last years of the history of Romanian Orthodoxy was in 1955 the solemn canonization of several saints of Romanian origin: St. Kallinikos (1868), monks Bessarion and Sophronius - Transylvanian confessors and martyrs of the time of Roman Catholic proselytism in the 18th century, layman Orpheus Nikolaus and other ascetics of the faith and piety. At the same time, it was decided for all Orthodox Romanians to also venerate some locally venerated saints of non-Romanian origin, whose relics rest in Romania, for example, St. Demetrius the New Basarbovsky from Bulgaria.

On October 27, the Romanian Orthodox Church annually commemorates St. Demetrius the New. The Orthodox population of Bucharest especially reverently honors the name of the saint, considering him the patron saint of their capital.

Saint Demetrius lived in the 13th century. He was born in the village of Basarabov, located on the Lom River, a tributary of the Thinking, in Bulgaria. His parents were poor. They raised their son in deep devotion to the Christian faith. From an early age, Demetrius was a shepherd. When his parents died, he went to a small monastery in the mountains. In his cell, he led a strict lifestyle. Peasants often came to him for a blessing, for advice, and were surprised at his kindness, friendliness and height of spiritual life. Feeling the approach of death, the saint went far into the mountains, where in a deep cleft between the rocks he gave up his spirit to God. His imperishable remains were later transferred to the temple of his native village. Touching the relics of the saint of one sick girl healed her from a serious illness. The fame of the saint spread far and wide. A new temple was built in his honor, where the relics of the saint were laid. In June 1774, with the assistance of one of the Russian commanders, the relics of the saint were transferred from Bulgaria to Romania - to Bucharest, where they are still in the cathedral. Since then, Orthodox Christians of the country have been flowing to them in countless numbers to worship with a prayer for grace-filled help.

In addition to the named saints, according to the Service Book of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the following Romanian saints are commemorated during the litia: Joseph the New, Ilia Iorest, Metropolitan Savva Brankovich of Ardyal (XVII century), Oprea Miklaus, John Valakh and others.

9. The current situation of the Romanian Orthodox Church:

Concerning the current situation of the Romanian Orthodox Church, it is necessary first of all to say about the relationship between the Church and the state.

The Church is recognized as a legal entity. “Parishes, deaneries, monasteries, bishoprics, metropolises and the Patriarchate,” says Article 186 of the Statute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, “are legal entities of public law.” The relationship of the Church with the State is determined by the Romanian Constitution and the Religion Law of 1948. The main principles of these legalizations are as follows: freedom of conscience for all citizens of the Republic, the prohibition of any discrimination based on religious affiliation, respect for the rights of all religious denominations in accordance with their beliefs, guaranteeing the right to establish Theological schools for the training of clergy and clergy, respect for the principle of state non-intervention in the internal affairs of the Churches and religious communities.

The state provides the Church with significant material assistance and allocates large funds for the restoration and protection of religious monuments - ancient monasteries and temples, which are a national treasure and a witness to the historical past. The state pays salaries to teachers of theological institutes. The clergy also partially receive support from the state and are exempted from military service. “The salaries of church employees and employees of institutions of the Orthodox Church, as well as expenses for diocesan and patriarchal centers, are paid by the state in accordance with its annual budget. Payment for the personal staff of the Orthodox Church is carried out in accordance with the laws in force on state employees.

Receiving assistance from the state, the Romanian Orthodox Church, in turn, supports the patriotic undertakings of the state authorities with the means at its disposal.

“Our Church is not isolated,” Patriarch Justinian answered the questions of the correspondent of the newspaper Avvenire d’Italia (Bologna) on October 9, 1965. “She considers it her duty to promote the progress of the Romanian people in accordance with the lines outlined by the state. This does not mean that we agree with the communist regime in everything, including on ideological issues, but this is not required of us.”

Consequently, the basis of good relations between the Church and the state is the combination of freedom of conscience with the awareness of civil rights and obligations.

The dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox Church are grouped into 5 metropolias, each with 1–2 archbishoprics and 1–3 bishoprics (6 archdioceses and 7 bishoprics). In addition, the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese (a department in Detroit) operates in the United States, which is under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate (founded in 1929 as a bishopric, elevated to an Archdiocese in 1974. It has its own printed organ "Credinta" ("Faith") .

The Romanian diocese also operates in Hungary (the seat of Gyula). It has eighteen parishes and is governed by an episcopal vicar.

In 1972, the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church took over the so-called French Orthodox Church. It was established more than 30 years ago by priest Evgraf Kovalevsky (later Bishop John). Its representatives stated that their group is the true embodiment of French Orthodoxy, for which it was condemned by other jurisdictions, including the "Russian Exarchate" on Rue Daru. After the death of Bishop John (1970), this community (several thousand people, 15 priests and 7 deacons), having no other bishop, asked the Romanian Church to accept it into its jurisdiction and create an autonomous bishopric in France. The request was granted.

The Romanian Orthodox Church also submits to separate parishes in Baden-Baden, Vienna, London, Sofia (in Sofia - a courtyard), Stockholm, Melbourne and Wellington (in Australia, where over four thousand Romanians live, 3 parishes, in New Zealand 1 Romanian parish) . Since 1963, there has been a representation in Jerusalem under His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine.

In order to keep in touch with foreign Romanian Orthodox communities and improve student exchange with the Local Orthodox Churches, the Romanian Patriarchate established in January 1976 the Department for the Affairs of Romanian Orthodox Communities Abroad and Student Exchange.

Part of the Orthodox Romanians in the United States is under the jurisdiction of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America. Part of the Romanians in Canada becomes stagnant in the Karlovac schism. A small group of Orthodox Romanians in Germany are subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox Church on the territory of Romania are subdivided into 152 protopresvtierates (our deaneries) and have at least 600 parishes each. The clergy has 10,000 clergy with 8,500 parishes. In Bucharest alone, there are 228 parish churches, in which 339 priests and 11 deacons serve. Approximately 5-6 thousand monastics of both sexes living in 133 monasteries, sketes and farmsteads. The total flock is 16 million. On average, one priest per one thousand six hundred believers. There are two theological institutes (in Bucharest and Sibiu) and 7 Theological Seminaries. 9 magazines are published.

According to the "Regulations" adopted by the Holy Synod in October 1948, the central governing bodies of the Romanian Orthodox Church are the Holy Synod, the National Church Assembly (Church Council), the Permanent Synod and the National Church Council.

The Holy Synod consists of the entire serving episcopate of the Romanian Church. Its sessions are convened once a year. The competence of the Holy Synod includes all dogmatic, canonical and liturgical questions of the Church.

The National Church Assembly includes members of the Holy Synod and representatives of the clergy and laity from all dioceses elected by the flock for four years (one cleric and two laymen from each diocese). The National Church Assembly deals with issues of a church-administrative and economic nature. Convened once a year.

The Permanent Synod, consisting of the Patriarch (Chairman) and all Metropolitans, is convened as needed. In the period between sessions of the Holy Synod, he decides current church affairs.

The National Church Council consists of three clerics and six laity, elected for four years by the National Church Assembly, "is the highest administrative body and at the same time the executive body of the Holy Synod and the National Church Assembly" .

The central executive bodies also include the Patriarchal Office, consisting of two vicar bishops of the Ungro-Vlachian Metropolis, two administrative advisers, from the Patriarchal Chancellery, and the Inspection and Control Body.

According to the tradition of the Romanian Orthodox Church, each metropolis must have the relics of saints in its cathedral. The bishops of the metropolis, together with the metropolitan (chairman), constitute the Metropolitan Synod, which manages the affairs of these dioceses. Their direct rulers are either metropolitans (in archdioceses) or bishops (in bishops). Each archdiocese or bishopric has two administrative bodies: an advisory body, the Diocesan Assembly, and an executive body, the Diocesan Council. The Diocesan Assembly is composed of 30 delegates (10 clerics and 20 laity) elected by the clergy and flock of each diocese for four years. It convenes once a year. The resolutions of the Assembly are carried out by the diocesan bishop together with the Diocesan Council, which consists of 9 members (3 clergy and 6 laity), elected by the Diocesan Assembly for four years.

Dioceses are divided into protopopies or protopresbyteries, headed by archpriests (protopresbyters) appointed by diocesan bishops.

The parish is headed by the parish priest. The parish government bodies are the Parish Assembly of all members of the parish and the Parish Council, consisting of 7-12 members elected by the Parish Assembly. Meetings of the Parish Assembly are held once a year. The chairman of the Parish Assembly and the Parish Council is the rector of the parish. To create a parish, it is necessary to unite 500 families in cities, 400 in villages.

The organs of the spiritual court are: the Main Church Court - the highest judicial and disciplinary authority (consists of five clergy members and one archivist); Diocesan Courts, existing under each diocese (of five clerics); judicial and disciplinary bodies operating at each deanery (from four clerics) and similar - at large monasteries (from two to four monks or nuns).

In the hierarchical order, the first place after the Patriarch in the Romanian Orthodox Church is occupied by the Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava, who has his residence in Iasi. The patriarch is the chairman of the central governing bodies of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the metropolitan is the vice-chairman.

Patriarchs, metropolitans and bishops in the Romanian Orthodox Church are elected by secret ballot by an Elected Council (Assembly) consisting of members of the National Church Assembly and representatives of the dowager diocese. Candidates for bishops must have a degree in theology, be monks or widowed priests.

The Romanian Church Statute ensures the cooperation of the clergy and laity in the life of the Church and administration. Each diocese delegates to the National Church Assembly, in addition to one clergyman, two more laity. The laity are also included in the National Church Council - the executive body of the central institutions, they take an active part in the life of the parish.

Monasticism in the Romanian Orthodox Church, both in the past (excluding the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century), and in the present, was and is at a high level. “The great enlightening role played by the Orthodox monasteries in the past of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian people is known,” we read in the publication of the Orthodox Biblical and Missionary Institute in Bucharest “L" eglise Orthodoxe Roumaine ". - For many centuries they were true centers of culture. In these monasteries, with diligence and painstaking patience, the monks copied wonderful manuscripts decorated with miniatures, which constitute a true treasure for Orthodoxy in general and for the Romanian Orthodox Church in particular.In the distant past, when the state was not engaged in education, the monasteries organized the first schools that trained calligraphers and In the monasteries, the works of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Church, these treasures of thought and spiritual life, were translated into Romanian.

The presence of monasticism in Romanian lands is already noted in the 10th century. This is evidenced by the temples built at that time on the rocks in Dobruja.

Of the monks-ascetics of the Middle Ages, the Orthodox Romanians especially revere the Athos monk of Greek-Serbian origin, Saint Nicodemus of Tisman (1406). During the years of exploits on Mount Athos, Saint Nicodemus was hegumen in the monastery of Saint Michael the Archangel. He ended his righteous life in Romania. Saint Nicodemus laid the foundations of organized monasticism in the Romanian lands, created the monasteries of Voditsa and Tismana, which were the firstborn of a number of currently operating monasteries. In 1955, the Romanian Orthodox Church decided to honor him everywhere.

Until the reign of Prince Alexander Cuza, anyone striving for monastic life could enter the monastery, and therefore in Romania at the beginning of the 19th century, according to the Vedomosti presented by the Exarch of Moldavia and Wallachia Gabriel Banulescu-Bodoni to the Holy Synod, there were 407 monasteries. But in 1864, a law was passed according to which monasticism was allowed only for presbyters who had graduated from the Theological Seminary, or those who would make a commitment to devote their lives to caring for the sick. The age for accepting monasticism was also determined: for men - 60 years, for women - 50 (then lowered: for men - 40, for women - 30). In addition, as noted above, the monastic property was confiscated under the jurisdiction of the state.

With the fall of the power of Alexander Cuza, the situation of monasticism did not improve: the government continued to take measures aimed at reducing monasticism to a minimum. By the beginning of the current century, 20 male and 20 female monasteries remained in Romania. Only in 12 years (from 1890 to 1902) 61 monasteries were closed.

“And such measures against monasteries,” wrote F. Kurganov in 1904, “the government applies continuously. The abolished monasteries were converted partly into parish churches, partly into prison castles, partly into barracks, hospitals, public gardens, etc.” .

Monasteries in Romania were divided into cenobitic and seperate. The latter included wealthy monks who built their houses in the vicinity of the monastery, in which they lived alone or together.

According to the jurisdictional position, the monasteries were divided into native ones, subordinate to local metropolitans and bishops, and dedicated to various Holy Places of the East and therefore dependent on them. The "dedicated" monasteries were ruled by the Greeks.

The feat of the monks was determined by a special Charter. The Charter obligated the monks to: daily attend divine services; keep in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the unity of the spirit and the bonds of love; find comfort in prayer, obedience, and be dead to the world; not to leave the monastery without the permission of the abbot; in his free time from worship, to engage in reading, needlework, and general labor.

At present, monastic deeds are regulated by the Charter of monastic life, which was drawn up with the direct participation of His Beatitude Patriarch Justinian and adopted by the Holy Synod in February 1950.

According to the Statute and later decisions of the Synod, the coenobitic (coenobitic) system was introduced in all the monasteries of the Romanian Church. Abbots of monasteries are called "elders" and manage the cloisters together with the cathedral of monks. To become a monk, you need to have the appropriate education. “Not a single brother or sister,” says Article 78 of the Charter, “receives monastic vows without having a seven-year elementary school certificate or a monastery school certificate and a certificate of specialization in any craft that he studied in the monastery workshop.” The main thing in the life of monks is the combination of deeds of prayer and labor. The commandment "Ora et labora" is found in many articles of the Charter. All monks, not excluding the highly educated, must know some trade. The monks work in church printing houses, at candle factories, in bookbinding workshops, in art, sculpture, in the manufacture of church utensils, etc. They are also engaged in beekeeping, viticulture, breeding silkworms, and so on. Nuns work in weaving and sewing workshops, in workshops for the production of sacred vestments and national clothes, church decorations, carpets, famous for their high artistic skill. The “worldly” products of the monasteries (national clothes) are then distributed by the Romanian Export Society, which, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, concludes contracts with large monastic centers that unite several monasteries.

But the introduction of the obligatory performance of any craft work did not turn the monasteries into workshops for the manufacture of various things. They continue to be centers of spiritual achievement. At the center of monastic life is constant participation in worship and individual prayer. In addition, the monastic Rule prescribes to accompany the engagement in external affairs with prayer. “Any work,” says Article 62 of the Charter, “should be sanctified by the spirit of prayer, according to the words of St. Theodore the Studite". “As a person who has decided with all his heart to live for the glory of God and His Son,” the Charter teaches, “a monk must first of all be filled with prayer, because it is not the cassock, but prayer that makes him a monk.” “He must know that as a monk he is always closer to God in order to fulfill his prayer duty for the benefit of people who do not have much time, like him, for prayer, and also to pray for those who do not know, do not want and do not can pray, and especially for those who have never prayed, because he himself must be in the highest degree a man of prayer, and his mission is primarily the mission of prayer. A monk is a candle of prayer, constantly lit among the people, and his prayer is the first and most beautiful thing that he must do out of love for his brothers, the people of the world.

To the question of a correspondent of the newspaper "Avvenire d" Italia "in 1965 about what function the monasteries performed in society then, the Patriarch answered: "The function of an exclusively religious and educational nature. The social activities in which they were once engaged (charity, etc. .), has now passed to the state. The social institutions of the Church are intended exclusively for the service of clergy and monastics, including the existing rest houses and sanatoriums. "- Today (1993) to this answer of the Patriarch it is necessary to add: "social institutions of the Church" serve and "peace".

Monasteries have their own libraries, museums and hospitals.

Of the monasteries, it should be noted: the Neamets Lavra, the monasteries of Chernika, Tisman, Uspensky, in the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Elena, etc.

The Neamt Lavra was first mentioned in a charter dated January 7, 1407 by Metropolitan Joseph of Moldavia. In 1497, a majestic temple in the name of the Ascension of the Lord, built by the governor of Moldavia Stephen the Great, was consecrated in the monastery. For the Romanian Orthodox Church, this monastery had the same meaning as the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra for the Russian. For many years it was the center of spiritual enlightenment. Many hierarchs of the Romanian Church came from her brethren. She showed in her midst high examples of Christian life, serving as a school of piety. The monastery, which reached a flourishing state thanks to the donations of pilgrims and the contributions of Orthodox Romanian believers, gave all its wealth to the elderly, the sick, and those in need of help. “In times of severe political trials,” testifies Bishop Arseniy, “during famine, fires and other national disasters, the whole Orthodox Romania was drawn to the Neamtsky Monastery, finding material and spiritual help here.” A rich library of Slavic manuscripts of the 14th-18th centuries was collected in the monastery. Unfortunately, a fire in 1861 destroyed most of the library and many buildings in the monastery. As a result of this misfortune, as well as the policy of the government of Prince Kuza, aimed at depriving the monasteries of their possessions, the Neamt monastery fell into decay. Most of her monks went to Russia, where in Bessarabia - on the estates of the monastery - the Novo-Nyametsky Ascension Monastery was founded. “In 1864, Russia,” said the first hegumen of the new monastery, Archimandrite Andronik, “gave shelter to us monks who fled from the Romanian monasteries of Neamtsa and Seku. With the help of the Mother of God and the prayers of the elder Paisius Velichkovsky, we founded here, in Bessarabia, a new monastery, also called Nyamuy, like the ancient one: by this we, as it were, pay tribute to the head of our hostel, Paisius Velichkovsky.

Currently, about 100 monks live in the Lavra, there is a Theological Seminary, a library and a printing house of the Metropolitan of Moldova. The monastery has two sketes.

Closely connected with the history of this Lavra is the name of the elder schiarchimandrite Reverend Paisius Velichkovsky, the renovator of monastic life in Romania, a spirit-bearing ascetic of modern times. He was born in the Poltava region in 1722. At the age of seventeen, Saint Paisios began to lead a monastic life. For some time he labored on Mount Athos, where he founded a skete in the name of St. prophet Elijah. From here, at the request of the Moldavian ruler, he moved with several monks to Wallachia to organize monastic life here. After serving as abbot in various monasteries, Saint Paisios was appointed Archimandrite of the Neamtsky Monastery. His entire ascetic life was filled with prayer, physical labor, the strict and constant guidance of the monks in the rules of monastic life, and scholarly studies. Rev. Paisios rested no more than three hours a day. He and his associates translated many patristic writings from Greek into Russian (the Philokalia, the works of Saints Isaac the Syrian, Maximus the Confessor, Theodore the Studite, Gregory Palamas, and others). The great ascetic and prayer book, Elder Paisios was honored with the gift of insight. He died in 1795 and was buried in this monastery.

In the 60s of the current century, a museum was opened at the monastery, in which the values ​​of the Lavra sacristy are presented. There is also a rich library that stores ancient Slavic, Greek and Romanian manuscripts, printed books of the 16th-19th centuries, and various historical documents.

Historically and spiritually connected with the Neamt monastery is the Blueberry Monastery, located 20 kilometers east of Bucharest. Founded in the 16th century, the monastery was repeatedly destroyed. It was restored by the cares of Elder Georgy, a disciple of the Elder Schema-Archimandrite Reverend Paisius Velichkovsky and a follower of the ascetic school of the Holy Mountain.

The spiritual tradition of St. Paisius Velichkovsky was continued by Bishop Kallinik of Rymnik and Novoseverinsky (1850-1868), who labored in fasting, prayer, deeds of mercy, right and constant faith, confirmed by the Lord with the gift of miracles. In 1955 he was canonized. The holy relics are in the Chernika Monastery, where St. Kallinikos carried out monastic obedience with humility for 32 years.

The witness of Romanian Orthodox antiquity is the Tisman Monastery, erected in the second half of the 14th century in the Gorja Mountains. Its builder was the pious archimandrite Nikodim. In the Middle Ages, the monastery was the center of spiritual enlightenment - church books were translated here into Romanian from Greek and Church Slavonic. Since 1958, this monastery has become a women's one.

The Assumption Monastery (about 100 monks) was founded by the ruler Alexander Lepusneanu in the 16th century. He is famous for the severity of the charter - following the example of St. Theodore the Studite.

Convent In the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena, it was founded by Constantin Bryncoveanu, ruler of the lands of Romania, in 1704. Constantine himself became a martyr in Constantinople in 1714. For refusing to accept Mohammedanism, the Turks cut his skin. In 1992 he was canonized by the Romanian Church. There are about 130 nuns in the monastery.

There are also well-known women's monasteries of Moldova with many inhabitants, such as Sucevitsa (founded in the 16th century, rich in interesting frescoes), Agapia (built in the 17th century, also located in a mountainous area, surrounded by formidable fortress walls), Varatek (founded in 1785) and etc. In the Ploiesti region, there is the Gichiu monastery - founded in 1806, rebuilt in 1859; During the Second World War, it was destroyed, in 1952 it was restored. Curtea de Arges Monastery, founded in the first quarter of the 16th century, attracts attention with the beauty of its architecture.

Concerned about the preservation and transmission to future generations of the culture and art of the past, the Romanian Orthodox Church is diligently working on the restoration and restoration of historical monuments of church art. In some monasteries and churches, through the efforts of monks or parishioners, museums have been organized in which ancient books, documents and church utensils are collected. Individual theologians of the Romanian Church are among the employees of the existing State Administration of Historical Monuments and the Institute of Archeology and Conservation at the Institute of Art History of the Romanian Academy of Sciences.

The Romanians were the only Romance people who adopted the Slavic language both in the Church and in literature. The first printed books published in Wallachia at the beginning of the 16th century by Hieromonk Macarius were, like earlier manuscripts, in Church Slavonic. But already in the middle of the same century, Philip Moldavan published the Catechism in Romanian (not preserved). Some improvement in the book business begins in the second half of the 16th century and is associated with the activities of the deacon Korea, who published in Romanian the “Christian questioning” in questions and answers (1559), the Four Gospels, the Apostle (1561 - 1563), the Psalter and the Missal (1570). The publication of these printed books laid the foundation for the translation of services into Romanian. This translation was completed a little later - after the release of the Bucharest Bible translated into Romanian by the brothers Radu and Shcherban Greceanu (1688) and Mena by Bishop Caesarea of ​​Rymnik (1776–1780). At the turn of the 17th - 18th centuries, Metropolitan Anfim of Wallachia (died as a martyr in 1716) completed a new translation of liturgical books, which, with minor changes, entered the liturgical practice of the Romanian Orthodox Church. During the reign of Prince Cuza, a special order was issued that only the Romanian language should be used in the Romanian Church. In 1936-1938 a new translation of the Bible also appeared.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, spiritual education in Romania was at a low level. There were few books, especially Romanian ones; the court, and following his example, the boyars, spoke Greek until the twenties of the XIX century - the Phanariots prevented the enlightenment of the European country. “For Romania, these Phanariot monks,” Bishop Melchizedek of Romance reproached the Patriarchate of Constantinople, “did nothing: not a single school for the education of the clergy and the people, not a single hospital for the sick, not a single Romanian educated on their initiative and at their rich means, not a single Romanian book for the development of the language, not a single charitable institution. True, at the very beginning of the 19th century (in 1804), as mentioned above, the first Theological Seminary was established in the Sokol Monastery, which was soon closed due to the Russian-Turkish wars (1806-1812; 1828-1832). Its activities were restored in 1834, when seminaries were opened at the episcopal sees of Wallachia. In the 1940s, catechetical schools began to be established, preparing mainly pupils in the seminary. By the end of the 19th century, there were two so-called “higher” seminaries with a four-year course of study and two “lower” ones with the same training period. The following subjects were studied: Holy Scripture, Holy History, Theology - Basic, Dogmatic, Moral, Pastoral, Accusatory, Patrology and Spiritual Literature, Orthodox Confession (Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, (1647), Church and State Law, Church Charter, Liturgy, Homiletics, General and Romanian church and civil history, Church singing, Philosophy, Pedagogy, General and Romanian geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology, Agronomy, Medicine, Drawing, Drafting, Needlework, Gymnastics, languages ​​- Romanian, Greek, Latin, French, German and Hebrew.

In 1884, the Faculty of Theology was opened at the University of Bucharest. The curriculum in it was adopted on the model of Russian Theological Academies. Probably, this was influenced by the graduate of the Kyiv Theological Academy, Bishop Melchizedek of Romansky, who took an active part in the opening of the faculty. Unfortunately, the program was introduced slowly. Perhaps this was because the faculty soon came under German influence: most of its professors were Germans or received their education and degrees from German universities. “It is very sad, gentlemen, deputies,” one of the deputies said during a meeting on December 8, 1888, “that the Romanians, who are under a foreign, Austrian yoke, have long had an Orthodox Theological Faculty, excellently organized in Chernivtsi (in Bukovina); meanwhile, free Romanians were so late with the opening of this great cultural institution that even now they are not able to put it in such conditions that would contribute to the growth of good, desired fruits from it.

In 1882, the Synodal Printing House was opened in Bucharest.

At present, spiritual enlightenment in the Romanian Orthodox Church is at a high level.

For the training of the clergy in the Romanian Orthodox Church there are two Theological institutes of the university degree - in Bucharest and Sibiu, seven Theological Seminaries: in Bucharest, Neamets, Cluj, Craiova, Caransebes, Buzau and in the Curtea de Arges monastery. The last one opened in October 1968. Students are fully supported. Their performance is evaluated on a ten-point system. The Seminary accepts young men from the age of 14. Teaching is designed for five years and is divided into two cycles. After the end of the first cycle, lasting two years, seminarians receive the right to be appointed to the parish as psalmists; those who complete the full course are ordained priests for rural parishes of the third (last) category. Those who pass the exams with an "excellent" mark can apply for admission to one of the two Theological Institutes. The institutes prepare theologically educated clergy. At the end of the fourth year of study, students take an oral examination and submit a scientific work. Graduates of the Institute are awarded diplomas of a licentiate. For those wishing to improve their spiritual education in Bucharest, there is a so-called Doctorate. The course of study in the Doctorate lasts three years and consists of four (optional) sections: biblical, historical, systematic (they study Dogmatic theology, Moral theology, etc.) and practical. Doctorate graduates have the right to write a doctoral dissertation.

Each of the professors must submit at least one research paper annually. Every priest, after five years of service in a parish, is obliged to refresh his knowledge with a five-day study and then pass the appropriate examination. From time to time the clergy come to the sessions of the courses of pastoral and missionary instruction, where they are given lectures on theology. They share the experience of church service in their parishes, discuss together contemporary problems of theological literature, etc. The Charter of the Romanian Orthodox Church requires clerics to give lectures annually on theoretical and practical topics in deanery or diocesan centers at the discretion of the bishop.

It should also be noted here that in the Romanian Orthodox Church, special attention is paid to the need for the strict performance of divine services by the clergy, the moral purity of their lives and regular visits by parishioners to the temple of God. The absence or small number of the flock during divine services calls into question the identity of the priest himself and his activities.

There are some peculiarities in the ritual practice of divine services. Thus, for example, litanies are pronounced in a special order. All the deacons are placed in one row on the salt facing the altar in the middle with the senior protodeacon and read the petitions in turn. Protodeacons are awarded, like our priests, pectoral crosses with decorations.

Much attention is paid to preaching. The sermons are delivered immediately after the reading of the Gospel and at the end of the liturgy. During the communion of the clergy, the works of St. fathers, and at the end of the service, the life of the holy day is read.

Since 1963, the Orthodox Theological Institutes in Bucharest and Sibiu and the Protestant Institute in Cluj, which train clergy, periodically hold joint conferences of an ecumenical and patriotic nature.

The publishing work of the Romanian Orthodox Church has been set at a high level: the books of St. Scriptures, liturgical books (prayer books, collections of church hymns, calendars, etc.), teaching aids for theological schools, lengthy and abbreviated catechisms, collections of church laws, church charters, etc. In addition, the Patriarchate and metropolises publish a number of periodic church magazines, central and local. The central journals of the Romanian Church are "Biserica Ortodoxa Romana" ("Romanian Orthodox Church", published since 1883), "Ortodoxia" ("Orthodoxy", published since 1949), "Studii Teologice" ("Theological Studies", published since 1949). of the year). The first of these, the official bi-monthly magazine, contains the definitions and official communications of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church and other central bodies of church authority; the second, a three-month periodical, contains articles on theological and ecclesiastical problems of an inter-Orthodox and general Christian nature;

In local diocesan church magazines (5 magazines) - official messages are placed (decrees of the diocesan authorities, circular orders, minutes of meetings of local church bodies, etc.), as well as articles on various topics: theological, church-historical and actual-public.

These journals are reminiscent of the former Diocesan Vedomosti of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Since 1971, the Foreign Relations Department of the Romanian Patriarchate has been publishing quarterly, in Romanian and English, the journal Romanian Orthodox Church News (News of the Romanian Orthodox Church). The name of the journal corresponds to its content: it contains reports on current events in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church, mainly concerning the external relations of the Romanian Patriarchate with other Local Orthodox Churches and heterodox confessions.

The church newspaper "Telegraful Roman" ("Romanian Telegraph") is published weekly in Sibiu. This is the oldest Romanian newspaper in terms of publication time (it began to appear from the middle of the 19th century: from 1853 as a civil newspaper for all Romanians; from 1948 it became only a church one).

The Romanian Orthodox Church has seven printing houses of its own.

The Orthodox Biblical and Missionary Institute operates in Bucharest under the direct supervision of the Patriarch. The task of the Institute is the general management of all ecclesiastical publications of the Romanian Orthodox Church, as well as the production and distribution of icons, sacred vessels and liturgical vestments.

Much attention is paid to iconography. A special school of ecclesiastical painting has been set up at the Orthodox Biblical and Missionary Institute. The monasteries hold practical classes in icon painting.

10. Relations of the Romanian Orthodox Church with the Russian in the past and present

The Romanian Orthodox Church, both in the past and in the present, has maintained and continues to maintain close ties with all Orthodox Churches. The beginning of the relationship between the Orthodox Churches-Sisters - Romanian and Russian was laid over 500 years ago, when the first manuscripts were received in Romania, containing ritual instructions and orders of worship in the Church Slavonic language. At first, spiritual and instructive books were delivered to the Romanian principalities from Kyiv, and then from Moscow.

In the 17th century, cooperation between the two Orthodox Churches was marked by the publication of the Confession of the Orthodox Faith, compiled by Metropolitan Peter Mohyla of Kyiv, originally from Moldavia, and adopted in 1642 at the Council in Iasi.

In the same 17th century, Metropolitan Dositheos of Suceava, taking care of the spread of spiritual enlightenment, turned to Patriarch Joachim of Moscow with a request to assist in equipping a printing house. In his letter, he pointed to the decline of enlightenment and the need for its rise. The request of Metropolitan Dositheus was heard - everything requested for the printing house was soon sent. In gratitude for this help, Metropolitan Dositheos placed in the Paremias, published in the last quarter of the 17th century in the Moldavian language, a poem composed by him in honor of Patriarch Joachim of Moscow.

The text of this poem reads:

“To His Holiness Mr. Joachim, Patriarch of the Tsar’s City of Moscow and All Russia, Great and Small, etc. Hair poems.

Truly praise should have alms / in heaven and on earth alike /, for light shines from Moscow /, spreading long rays / and a good name under the sun /: Saint Joachim, in the holy city / royal, Christian /. Whoever turns to him for alms / with a good soul, he bestows him well /. We also turned to his holy face /, and he reacted well to our request /: a sincere matter, and we like it /. May God grant that he shines in heaven /, along with the saints, that he be glorified. (ZhMP. 1974. No. 3. S. 51).

Metropolitan Dositheos sent to Moscow his essay on the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts in the sacrament of the Eucharist, as well as his translation from Greek into Slavonic of the epistles of Saint Ignatius the God-bearer.

On the verge of the 17th and 18th centuries, cooperation between the two Orthodox Churches manifested itself in the effective spiritual and material support of the Russian Orthodox Church for the Orthodox population of Transylvania in connection with the desire of the Austrian Catholic government to establish a union here. In the middle of the 18th century, the union of the two fraternal Churches was strengthened by the elder Rev. Paisius Velichkovsky with his activity aimed at the renewal and exaltation of Orthodox piety in Romania. This ascetic, a native of the Ukrainian spiritual family and the organizer of monastic life in the Neamts monastery, equally belongs to both Churches.

After the opening of the Russian Theological Academies in the 19th century, ample opportunity was given to study in them and the pupils of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Indeed, in our Theological Academies a number of enlightened hierarchs, leaders of the Romanian Orthodox Church, such as Bishops Filaret Scriban, Melchizedek Stefanescu, Silvester Balanescu and Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu of Romania, have been educated. Good traditions of admission to the Russian Theological Schools of students from the Romanian Orthodox Church are alive and active at the present time.

At the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (1917 - 1918), which restored Moscow Patriarchate, the Romanian Orthodox Church was represented by the learned Bishop Nicodim Munteanu, who then ruled the diocese of Cush (later Patriarch of Romania). Between the First and Second World Wars, relations between the two fraternal Churches were weakened, but since 1945 they have resumed and are successfully developing. Thus, Bishop Joseph of Argesh was present at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1945. In the same year, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Bishop Jerome of Chisinau and Moldavia visited Romania. In 1946, the Romanian Patriarch Nikodim arrived in Moscow (his future successor Patriarch Justinian of Romania was also part of the delegation), and in 1947 His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I visited Romania. In June 1948, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church attended the enthronement of Patriarch Justinian of the Romanian Orthodox Church. In July of the same year, a delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church, headed by Patriarch Justinian, participated in the celebrations dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the autocephaly of the Russian Orthodox Church, and in the work of the Conference of the Heads and Representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches. In the summer of 1950, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church was again a guest of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the same year, two representatives of the Romanian Patriarchate - the Patriarchal Vicar Bishop Feoctist and Professor of the Theological Institute in Bucharest Ioan Negrescu - came to Moscow for fragrant substances for the Holy World. In 1951 and 1955, Patriarch Justinian, accompanied by bishops and presbyters of the Romanian Church, took part in the celebration of the finding of venerable relics Reverend Sergius Radonezh. In October 1955, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad and Novgorod, participated in the celebrations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of autocephaly and the 30th anniversary of the patriarchate of the Romanian Church, as well as the glorification of the newly canonized Romanian saints. In 1957 Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava Justin (later Patriarch of Romania) visited the Moscow Patriarchate and was received by Metropolitan Nikolai of Krutitsy and Kolomna. His Beatitude Patriarch Justinian, together with other delegates of his Church, was present in 1958 at the jubilee celebrations in Moscow on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the restoration of the patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church. In June 1962, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I visited the Romanian Church for the second time. As a result of conversations with Patriarch Justinian, a joint communiqué was drawn up on the possibility and necessity of strengthening ties between the two Sister Churches and intensifying the struggle for world peace. IN next month In the same 1962, Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava Justin, who arrived in Moscow to participate in the work of the World Congress for General Disarmament and Peace, was a guest of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In the 60s and early 70s, His Beatitude Patriarch Justinian, together with delegates of his Church, was a guest of our Church several times. Thus, His Beatitude visited the Russian Orthodox Church: in 1963 (on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the episcopal service of Patriarch Alexy I), in October 1966, in the summer of 1968 (on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church) and in May June 1971 in connection with the election and enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia.

The newly elected His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, together with the delegates of the Russian Orthodox Church, paid an official visit to the Romanian Orthodox Church at the end of October 1972 (after visiting the Serbian and Greek Orthodox Churches at the same time).

In October 1973, the guest of our Holy Church was Justin, Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava, who participated in the World Congress of Peace Forces in Moscow.

In June 1975, at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, His Beatitude Patriarch Justinian was in the Soviet Union, accompanied by Metropolitan Justin of Moldova and Suceava and other hierarchs and clerics of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

In the autumn of the same year (from November 1 to November 3), a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by His Holiness Patriarch Pimen visited Bucharest, where they took part in the celebrations in connection with the 50th anniversary of the patriarchate and the 90th anniversary of the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

In November 1976, the Bucharest University Theological Institute, highly appreciating the theological and ecumenical activities of Metropolitan Nikodim of Leningrad and Novgorod, awarded him the degree of doctor of theology "honoris causa".

On the occasion of the earthquake that struck Romania on March 4, 1977, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen sent sincere condolences to the Russian Orthodox Church to the Romanian Orthodox Church.

In March 1977, delegates of our Church, headed by Metropolitan Alexy of Tallinn and Estonia (now Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'), participated in the funeral of His Beatitude Patriarch Justinian of Romania, who died suddenly, and in June, a delegation of our Church participated in the solemn enthronement of the new Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Patriarch Justin.

In the same month of 1977, the delegates of the Romanian Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan Nicholas of Banat, participated in the work of the World Conference "Religious Figures for Lasting Peace, Disarmament and Just Relations between Nations" and were guests of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In March 1992, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' met with His Beatitude Patriarch Theoktist I of Romania in Istanbul and the joint celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the St. George Patriarchal Cathedral of the Church of Constantinople.

However, at the end of 1992, the relations between the two Churches were darkened due to the anti-canonical actions of the Romanian Church Hierarchy towards the Orthodox Church in the Republic of Moldova. On December 19-20, 1992, Patriarch Feoktist of Romania received Bishop Peter of Balti, who was under the ban of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, into communion with several clerics of the Orthodox Church in the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, a Patriarchal and Synodal Act was issued on the restoration of the Bessarabian Metropolis on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, the administration of which was entrusted to Bishop Peter until the election of a permanent metropolitan from among the episcopate of the Romanian Church. At the same time, the act notes that “the issue of the restoration of the Bessarabian Metropolis was discussed by Patriarch Feoktist I of Romania with Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' during their meeting in Istanbul in March of this year.”

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, at its meeting of December 22, 1992, expressed deep concern about these actions as “grossly violating the sacred canons, which prohibit the extension of the power of a bishop to the territory of another diocese and the Primate of the Church to the territory of another Church, as well as the acceptance into liturgical communion of persons prohibited from serving… The issue of the jurisdictional affiliation of the Orthodox Church in Moldova should be resolved through the canonically expressed free will of the archpastors, clergymen, monastics and laity of this Church, whose voice should be heard at the Local Council of the Moscow Patriarchate, authorized to make a final decision on this issue in accordance with other Local Orthodox Churches. In addition, “no decisions were made on the status of Orthodox communities in Moldova during the meeting of Patriarchs Alexy II and Theoktist I in Istanbul.” It was decided to send a protest of the Patriarch of Moscow to the Patriarch of Romania and "to call on the Hierarchy of the Romanian Church to correct the violations as soon as possible." In the event that “if this call does not meet with an appropriate response,” the decision of the Holy Synod said, “the Russian Orthodox Church reserves the right to turn to the Ecumenical Orthodox Plenitude with a demand for a pan-Orthodox court on this issue” ... In the protest of the Moscow Patriarchate, it was stated: “Chisinau- The Moldavian diocese has been part of the Russian Orthodox Church since 1808. From 1919 to 1940, in connection with the inclusion of Bessarabia into the Kingdom of Romania, this diocese was torn away from the Russian Church and was part of the Romanian Church, which had been autocephalous since 1885. Thus, the Chisinau diocese became part of the Russian Church more than seven decades before the formation of the canonically independent Romanian Church. At present, the Orthodox Church in Moldova is integral part Moscow Patriarchate, enjoying independence in matters of internal administration. At the diocesan meeting held on December 15, 1992, the episcopate, clergy and representatives of the overwhelming majority of the communities of the Orthodox Church in Moldova spoke in favor of maintaining its current status ... The leadership of the Romanian Orthodox Church ... created the threat of a new schism that could destroy relations between the two Churches, as well as cause enormous damage pan-Orthodox unity".

11. Relations with other Orthodox and non-Orthodox Churches

The Romanian Orthodox Church has maintained fraternal relations with other Sister Churches throughout the centuries. Both in the past and now, she sent and sends her students to receive education in the theological schools of the Greek Church. The Romanian Orthodox Church once supported the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in recognizing its autocephaly and helped the Albanian Orthodox Church in the same way.

By sending their students to receive theological education in Theological Schools Local Churches The Moscow and Hellas, the Romanian Church, for the same purpose, accepts students from other Autocephalous Orthodox Churches into its higher theological schools.

After the Second World War, the Romanian Patriarchate takes an active part in all the most important meetings of representatives of the Orthodox Churches.

The Romanian Orthodox Church has always highly valued initiatives aimed at mutual understanding and rapprochement of all Christians. Since 1920 she has been actively involved in the ecumenical movement.

The Romanian Church widely supports and takes an active part in the recently developing dialogue with the Ancient Eastern (non-Chalcedonian) Churches - the Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Malabar, Jacobite and Syro-Chaldean, as well as with the Anglican and Old Catholic Churches, with many Protestant Churches. She actively participates in the Conference of European Churches. Its relations with the Anglican Church are especially active. Back in 1935, Romanian-Anglican interviews were held in Bucharest, during which discussions were held and agreed decisions were made on the issues of the doctrinal significance of 39 members of the Anglican confession, on the sacrament of the Priesthood and the validity of Anglican consecrations, on St. The Eucharist and other sacraments, about Holy Scripture and Tradition, about salvation. With regard to the sacrament of the Priesthood, it should be said that the members of the Romanian delegation at the interview, having studied the reports of the Anglican commission, in which they saw the correct view of episcopal ordination and apostolic succession of grace, recommended to the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to recognize the reality of the Anglican hierarchy. In 1936, the Holy Synod ratified the conclusions of its representatives with the proviso that this recognition would become final after the supreme authority of the Anglican Church also approved the conclusions of its envoys, and the consent of all the Local Orthodox Churches on this issue should also be expressed.

The agreement reached in Bucharest was accepted by the Anglican Church in 1936 at the York Assembly and in 1937 at the Canterbury Assemblies. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in its meeting of June 6, 1966, once again considered the documents of the Bucharest Interview and adopted them again.

As regards the attitude of the Orthodox Plenitude towards the question of the validity of the Anglican ordination, it should be noted that it was raised at the Moscow Conference of the Heads and Representatives of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches in 1948. The decision of this Conference states that in order to recognize the validity of the Anglican hierarchy, it is necessary to establish unity of faith with Orthodoxy, which must be approved by the governing bodies of the Anglican Church and by a conciliar decision of the entire Holy Orthodox Church. “We pray that,” we read in the resolution on the question “On the Anglican Hierarchy,” “that this, by the inexpressible mercy of God, be accomplished.”

Concerning ecumenical cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church, the theologians of the Romanian Orthodox Church oppose the acceptance of the dialogue of love proposed by Constantinople and Rome as a threshold for theological dialogue. They believe that the dialogue of love and theological dialogue should go hand in hand. If this condition is violated, one can come to dogmatic indifference, and meanwhile the cornerstone of any unity of the Churches is precisely dogmatic unity. In this aspect, they consider unacceptable the unity of the Churches on the basis of only a minimal dogmatic community.

In March 1972, a delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church, headed by the Patriarchal Vicar, Bishop Anthony of Ploiesti, visited the Vatican for the first time in the history of relations between this Church and the Roman Catholic Church, at the invitation of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity. The delegates were received by Pope Paul VI, whom they informed about the life of their Church, paying special attention to the good relations that existed in Romania at that time between all Christians. They also visited the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, the Congregation for Theological Education, a number of higher spiritual educational institutions, theological and monastic institutions.

In Romania itself, in recent years, "local ecumenism" has emerged between the country's Christians, and "good relations have been established based on mutual respect with non-Christian religions - Jewish and Muslim."

12. Fight for Peace

Representatives of the Romanian Church contribute to the work of general Christian forums dedicated to the service of man. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decided that every year on August 6, in all the churches of the Patriarchate, special prayers about the sending of peace, about the deliverance of mankind from wars and from the suffering that wars bring. The Romanian Orthodox Church prays fervently for peace. Its representatives took an active part in the work of the World Congress of Peace Forces (Moscow, 1973) and the World Conference "Religious Figures for Lasting Peace, Disarmament and Just Relations between Nations" (Moscow, 1977), etc.

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Sultan V. The position and activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church during the reign of Alexander Cuza: the works and deeds of the Skribanov brothers – In the sand. (Term paper). .MDA, 1968. Typescript.

Sumaryan. Translation of the new church law in Romania / / "Thurs. in General spirit. Enlightenment". 1893, July-August.

Shabatin I.N., prof. From the history of Russian-Romanian church relations–NIY//ZhMP. 1956. No. 2.

in Romanian

BalşN. Bisericile si mănăstirile din veacurile XVII şi XVIII. Bucureşti, 1933. (Churches and monasteries in the 17th and 18th centuries).

Biserica Ramand. Bucuresti, 1888. (Romanian Church). Bodogae Teodor. Din istoria Bisericii ortodoxe de acum 3OO ani. Sibiu, 1943. (From the history of the Orthodox Church - 300 years ago).

CalinicD. D. Pravoslavnica Marchurisire. Bucuresti. 1859. (Orthodox confession).

Cazacii V. Paisie VeUcikovski si însemnătatea lui pentru monahismul pravoslavnic. 1898. (Paisy Velichkovsky and his significance for Orthodox monasticism).

Cef/ericou S. Paisie Velicicovski. Traducere de Nicodim Munteanu. Mănăstirea Neamţ, 1933. (Paisiy Velichkovsky. Translated by Nikodim Munteanu).

Erbiceanu C. Istoria mitropoliei Moldovei. Bucuresti, .1888. (History of the Moldavian Metropolis).

Gheorghe C. Bezuiconi. Călători ruşi în Moldova si Muntenia. Bucuresti, 194-7. (Russian travelers in Moldavia and Muntenia-Wallachia).

Istoria Bisericii Romone. Bucuresti, 1957. Voi. I - II. (History of the Romanian Church).

Laurian L. Documente istorice despre starea politică si religioasă a romînilor din Transilvania. - Bucureşti, 1846. (Historical documents concerning the political and religious state of the Transylvanian Romanians).

Nicolae (Mladin), mitropol. Ardealului. Biserica Ortodoxă Română una si aceeaşi în toate timpurile. Sibiu, 1968. (The Romanian Orthodox Church is the same at all times).

Pâcurariu Mircea, Atitudinea Bisericii Ortodoxe Române faţă de războiul de independenţia//BOR. 1967.An. LXXXV, no. 5–6. (Attitude of the Romanian Orthodox Church towards the struggle for independence).

Pâcurariu Mircea, puol Dr., profesor la Institutul Teologic Uniuersitar din Sibiu. Istoria Bisericii Ortodoxe Romane. Sibiu, 1972. Resume (in French, German, and English, lang.). (History of the Romanian Orthodox Church).

Racoueanu G. Viata si nevointele fericitului Paisie. Rirnnicul-Vflcei, 1933. (The Life and Labors of Blessed Paisios).

Scriban Filaret. Istoria bisericească a Romînilor pe scurt. Jasi. 1871. (Church history of the Romanians in brief).

Simedrea Tit. Patriarchia românească. acte si documente. Bucureşti, 1926. (Romanian Patriarchy. Acts and Documents).

Serbanescu Niculae. Optzeci de ani de la dobîndirea autocefaliei Bisericii Ortodoxe Române//BOR. 1965.An. LXXXIII, nr3 - 4. (Eighty years since the receipt of autocephaly by the Romanian Orthodox Church).

Sereda G. De la Biserica autocefală la Patriarchia Română/Rev. "Orthodoxy". 195O. an. II, no. 2. (From the autocephaly of the Church to the Patriarchy)..

Stan Liviu. Legislaţia Bisericii Ortodoxe Române în Timpul arhipăstoririi Prea Fericitului Părinte Patriarh Justinian/"Ortodoxia". 1968. Aii. XX, no. 2. (Legislation of the Romanian Orthodox Church during the archpastorship of His Beatitude Father Patriarch Justinian).

Material from ABC Pilgrims

Romania(rum. România) - a state in Southeastern Europe. The population, according to the results of the 2011 census, is more than 19 million people, the territory is 238,391 km², according to both of these indicators it is the largest country in the region. It occupies the fifty-ninth place in the world in terms of population and seventy-eighth in terms of territory. The capital is Bucharest. The official language is Romanian.

Largest cities

• Bucharest
• Timisoara
• Constanta
• Galati
• Cluj-Napoca

Orthodoxy in Romania

Romanian Orthodox Church(rum. Biserica Ortodoxă Română) is an autocephalous local Orthodox Church, which has the 7th place (or 8th according to the Moscow Patriarchate) in the diptych of autocephalous local Churches. It has jurisdiction mainly on the territory of Romania and Moldova.

Like other officially registered religious organizations in Romania, it has a de facto state status: the salaries of the clergy are paid from the state treasury.

Story

The church organization on the territory of Romania has been known since the 4th century. The Roman province of Dacia that existed here was part of the region of Illyricum, which is why the Dacian bishops were under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Sirmia, who was subject to the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. After the destruction of Sirmia by the Huns (5th century), the church region of Dacia passed into the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Thessalonica, who was subordinate either to Rome or to Constantinople. Upon the establishment in the VI century by Emperor Justinian I in his native city - the first Justinian ( Justiniana prima) - the center of church administration Dacia was subordinate to the latter.

The Metropolis of Wallachia was part of the Archdiocese of Ohrid, and then of the Tarnovo Patriarchate (1234-1393), as a result of which it adopted the Cyrillic alphabet and Church Slavonic as the liturgical language. Around 1324 Wallachia became an independent state; In 1359, the Wallachian voivode Nicholas Alexander I obtained from the Patriarch of Constantinople the elevation of the church organization in Wallachia to the dignity of a metropolia. The Metropolis was in canonical dependence on the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which until the beginning of the 18th century was mostly formal.

Unlike other lands subject to the Ottoman Empire, in Wallachia and Moldova, under the patronage of local rulers, complete freedom of worship was maintained, it was allowed to build new churches and found monasteries, and convene church councils. Church property remained inviolable, thanks to which the Eastern Patriarchates, as well as the Athos monasteries, acquired estates here and opened farmsteads, which served as an important source of their income.

In 1711, Moldavia, and in 1716 Wallachia came under the control of princes appointed by the sultan from several families of Phanariot Greeks. Church life underwent significant Hellenization: the Church Slavonic language was replaced in the cities by Greek, and in the villages it was supplanted by the Romanian language. In 1776, the Metropolitan of Wallachia was granted the title of "Vicar of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia" - the most senior in honor of the cathedra of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which in the 4th century was headed by St. Basil the Great.

As a result of the Russian-Turkish wars in the middle of the 18th century, Russia received the right to patronize the Orthodox in these territories. In 1789, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1792, the Russian Holy Synod established the "Moldo-Vlachian Exarchy", whose locum tenens on December 22 of the same year was appointed the former Archbishop of Ekaterinoslav and Chersonesus Tauride Ambrose (Serebrenikov) († October 13, 1792 G.). In 1792, Gabriel (Banulescu-Bodoni) was appointed Metropolitan of Moldo-Vlachia with the title of Exarch of Moldavia, Wallachia and Bessarabia; but in 1793, after being imprisoned in Constantinople and condemned by the Synod of the Church of Constantinople, he was appointed to the Yekaterinoslav see, retaining the title of "exarch".

A well-known figure at the beginning of the 19th century was Metropolitan of Moldavia (1803-1842 intermittently) Veniamin (Kostaki), who opposed the power of the Phanariots and welcomed the transition of Moldavia under the rule of Russia.

During the period of occupation by Russian troops (1808-1812) of Moldavia and Wallachia, the church annexation of the territory of the principalities was carried out: in March 1808, the Russian Holy Synod determined the retired former Metropolitan of Kiev Gabriel (Banulescu-Bodoni) “to be referred to as a member of the Holy Synod and its exarch in Moldavia, Wallachia and Bessarabia. At the conclusion of the Bucharest peace treaty, Bessarabia was ceded to Russia, where in 1813 the diocese of Chisinau and Khotyn was established, headed by Metropolitan Gabriel.

After the Morean uprising of the Greeks (1821), the sultan in 1822 granted the request of the Moldavian and Wallachian boyars to restore the right to elect the Romanian rulers. From that moment on, the political dependence of Romania on the Ottoman Empire began to weaken rapidly; the cultural and political influence of France and Austria (Transylvania) became increasingly important. Along with anti-Greek sentiments, at that time the hostile attitude of the national elite towards the imperialist policy of Russia was widespread: when in 1853 Russian troops crossed the Prut and approached the Danube, the Romanian principalities asked the Sultan to occupy their territory and form a militia to counter Russia.

In 1859, the principalities of Wallachia and Moldova (a historical region within the Moldavian principality) were united into a single principality. Elected under the influence of France as Prince Alexander Cuza, he carried out reforms that many church historians assess as directed against the Orthodox Church. A new body of church administration was created - the "General National Synod", which included all Romanian bishops and three deputies from the clergy and laity of each diocese. The synod had the right to meet only once every two years and was under the complete control of the secular authorities. Hierarchal appointments were carried out at the direction of the prince. The law of 1863 carried out a complete confiscation (secularization) of all church and monastic property. Active opposition to the anti-clerical policy of the government was provided by the Skribans brothers: Bishop Philaret († 1873; tonsured at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra) and Bishop Neophyte († 1884).

In 1865, the local Church declared itself autocephalous, but the Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized this only in 1885.

In 1918, Romania annexed Bessarabia. In 1919, a Council was held that united the dioceses of Romania, Transylvania and Bukovina. On February 1, 1919, the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Romania.

The Romanian Constitution of 1923 recognized the Romanian Orthodox Church as the country's national church.

October 1/14, 1924 Romanian Orthodox Church officially switched to the New Julian calendar.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of February 4, 1925, the Romanian Church was proclaimed a Patriarchate, which definition was recognized as canonical (Tomos of the Patriarch of Constantinople of July 30, 1925). On November 1, 1925, the solemn elevation of Metropolitan-Primas Miron Christie to the rank of His Beatitude Patriarch of All Romania, Viceroy of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, Archbishop of Bucharest took place. From February 1, 1938 to March 6, 1939, Patriarch Miron was also Prime Minister of Romania, having been appointed by King Carol II of Romania.

In June 1940, Bessarabia was annexed by the USSR; church structures were reassigned to the Moscow Patriarchate. Bishop Alexy (Sergeev) was sent to the Chisinau diocese with the elevation to the rank of archbishop.

On June 22, 1941, the Kingdom of Romania, together with Germany, opposed the USSR. According to the bilateral agreement concluded in Bendery on August 30, 1941, the area between the Dniester and Southern Bug rivers was transferred to Romania under the name of Transnistria; it included the left-bank regions of Moldova, the Odessa region and part of the territory of the Nikolaev and Vinnitsa regions. The Romanian Church extended its jurisdiction to Transnistria; in September 1941, an Orthodox mission was opened in Transnistria, headed by Archimandrite Julius (Scriban). Temples and monasteries were opened, which ceased their activities under Soviet rule. Particular attention was paid to the restoration of church life on the territory of Moldova. In Transnistria, the activities of other Orthodox organizations were banned, including the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church, which freely existed in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine. On November 30, 1942, the Theological Seminary was opened in Dubossary. On March 1, 1942, theological courses for students of all faculties began to work at Odessa University. Since January 1943, an Orthodox Theological Seminary has been operating in Odessa. The Romanian language, Romanian liturgical traditions, and the Gregorian calendar were introduced into worship.

After the restoration of Soviet control over Transnistria in August 1944, the territory came under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In 1948, a communist regime was established in Romania. Unlike most other communist states, in Romania the Orthodox Church was not subjected to serious persecution or oppression, although all church life was tightly controlled by the state. Legally, the Romanian Orthodox Church was not separated from the state. The Romanian Constitution of 1965 proclaimed only the separation of the school from the Church (Article 30). In accordance with the decree "On the General Organization of Religious Confessions", the Church had the right to create charitable organizations, religious societies, conduct publishing activities, own movable and immovable property, use state subsidies and subsidies for the clergy and teachers of religion.

From 1948 to 1977 the Church was headed by Patriarch Justinian.

The Primate of the Church since 1986, Patriarch Theoktist, after the fall of the communist regime, in January 1990, resigned, but was restored by the Synod in April of the same year. In 1990, the previously banned Greek Catholic Church of Romania was restored, which has since sought to return the lost property.

In 1992, the former Bishop of the Moscow Patriarchate, Peter (Paduraru), headed the restored Bessarabian Metropolis as locum tenens; in 1995 he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.

On July 30, 2002, the government of Vladimir Voronin granted the Bessarabian Metropolis an official status, its coat of arms and charter were registered; the metropolia within the Romanian Patriarchate was recognized as the legal successor of the Bessarabia metropolis, which existed in Bessarabia from the time of its annexation by Romania in 1918 until the Soviet occupation in 1940.

On May 9, 2011, the Holy Synod of the Jerusalem Patriarchate at its meeting unanimously decided to interrupt the Eucharistic communion with the Romanian Orthodox Church, due to the construction of a temple belonging to the Romanian Patriarchate on the canonical territory of the Jerusalem Church, without the approval of the latter.

On February 25, 2013, the Romanian and Jerusalem Orthodox churches restored Eucharistic communion with each other, and the disputed Romanian Patriarchate compound in Jericho was recognized as a "home" for Romanian pilgrims.

The Current State of the Church

Consists of 5 metropolias (metropolitan districts), each of which includes several archdioceses and bishops; there are dioceses abroad.

296 monasteries, 97 sketes. It has about 20 million followers.

The highest authority is the Holy Synod, consisting of the Primate (Patriarch) and all the bishops of the Church.

The Saints

• AGN, mch. Gothic
• ANTIM IVIRYANU, schmch.
• ANTONY, Rev.
• BRYNKOVIANU KONSTANTIN, St.
• VASILY POLYANOMERULSKY, St.
• VISSARION SARAI, mch.
• GELASIUS OF RYMETSKY, St.
• Gregory IV, St.
• DANIEL THE HERMIT, St.
• DIMITRY BASARBOVSKII, St.
• IAKINF, St.
• JOHN (New Nyametsky), St.
• JOHN FROM GALESH, schmch.
• JOHN OF PRISLOP, St.
• JOHN OF Ryshka and Seku, St.
• STEPHAN, blgv. book.

shrines

relics of saints and miraculous icons in Romania are found in churches and monasteries of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

BUCHAREST.

Cathedral St. Demetrius:

• Rev. Dimitry Basarbovsky (XVII century).

Church of St. George the Victorious:

• mch. Constantin Brynkoveanu (XVII century).

C. CHERNIKA (15 km from Bucharest). Blueberry Monastery:

• St. Kallinik of Rymnik (Chernik) (XIX century),
• revered grave of archim. Hilarion (Argatu) (XX century).

KELDERUSHANI MONASTERY (near Bucharest):

• St. Gregory IV of Ungro-Vlachia (XIX century).

CONSTANCE. Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul:

• mch. Epictetus and Astion (4th century).

DERWENT MONASTERY (County of Constanta, near the village of Galicia):

• miraculous cross,
• Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful".

CURTIA DE ARGESH. Monastery of St. Nicholas: st. Filofea Tyrnovskaya (XI century),

• St. Nifont II of Constantinople (XV century) (head and right hand).

MONASTERY CHETETSUYA NEGROU VODE (about 30 km northeast of Curtea de Arges, near the village of Campulung):

• Rev. Ioanniky New, Muschelsky (XVII century).

SKIT EZER (Valcea County, near Baile Olanesti):

• Rev. Anthony of Ezersky (XVII century).

BISTRITSA MONASTERY (Valcea County, near Costesti):

• Rev. Gregory Dekapolit (IX century).

LAINICHI MONASTERY (near Targu Jiu):

• Rev. Herodion of Lainichsky (XIX century).

TISMANA (25 km west of Targu Jiu). Tisman Monastery:

• Rev. Nicodemus Tismansky (XIV century) (part of the relics).

TIMISOARA. Cathedral of the Three Saints:

• St. Joseph the New (XVII century).

RYMETS MONASTERY (Alba County):

• St. Gelasius Rymetsky (XIV century) (chapter).

S. NICULA (Cluj County, near Gerla). Monastery of Nikula:

• Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria.

NEAMTS MONASTERY (ROMANIAN LAURA) (to the northwest of Targu Neamt):

• Rev. Paisius (Velichkovsky) (XVIII century) (part of the relics),
• Rev. Simeon Divnogorets (VI century) (head),
• "Nyametskaya" icon of the Mother of God,
• "Romanian" icon of the Savior,
• mch icon. George the Victorious.

SEKU MONASTERY (approx. 20 km northwest of Targu Neamt):

• St. Varlaam of Moldavia (XVII century),
• revered grave of archim. Vincent (Maleu) (twentieth century),
• revered grave of archim. Anfim (Geine) (XX century),
• "Cypriot" icon of the Mother of God.

SICHASTRIA MONASTERY (to the northwest of Targu Neamt):

• Icon of the Mother of God "Grieving-Romanian",
• revered grave of Protosingel (abbot) Ioannikius (Moroi) (XX century),
• venerated grave by hierome. Paisia ​​(Olaru) (twentieth century).

DUREU MONASTERY (65 km southwest of Tirgu Neamt):

• revered grave of archim. Cleopas (Ilie) (twentieth century).

Monastery of St. John the New:

• mch. John New, Sochavsky (XIV century).
• Old Believer Suceava Monastery:
• Suceava (Prosperous) Icon of the Mother of God.

PUTNA MONASTERY (62 km northwest of Suceava):

• revered grave of St. ruler Stephen III the Great (XV century),
• St. Spanish Elijah of Transylvania (XVII century).

VORONETS MONASTERY (26 km southwest of Suceava, near Gura Humorului):

Putna (monastery)

Monastery of Sinai

Slavsky Vvedensky Monastery

Slavsky Assumption Monastery

Sucevitsa (monastery)

Horezu (monastery)

Video

The editors received the 3rd part of the research material of Metropolitan Alexander of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishnevsky on the language of worship - as part of the discussion that is being conducted on the Kievan Rus website.

Doubts about the legitimacy or expediency of using in Orthodox worship Ukrainian language often argued that worship in ancient languages ​​is a common practice in the Local Orthodox Churches. However, this statement needs to be clarified.

Ancient Eastern Patriarchates. Divine service on ancient Greek(which we wrote about above in connection with the practice of the Greek Orthodox Church) is celebrated today in the Ancient Eastern Patriarchates: Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, as well as in the Cypriot, Helladic and autonomous Sinai Churches. At the same time, in Antioch And Jerusalem In patriarchates, the majority of whose flocks are ethnic Arabs, worship is also performed on Arabic(book language, which is an analogue of book English and is understandable to modern Arabs, since in Arabic-speaking countries this language is not only the sacred language of the Koran and worship, but is also used in the media, books, school textbooks etc.).

Nurturing the Orthodox diaspora in the United States and Western Europe, the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Antioch sanction the use of national languages ​​in worship, first of all, English. English is also the primary liturgical language of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA, English Orthodox Church in America), which, thanks to its fidelity to the ecclesiological principles of Protopresbyters Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff, in many respects managed to overcome the format of the "Church of the Russian Minority" and approach the format of the "local Church" of the American continent. On Finnish And Karelian languages, divine services are celebrated in the autonomous (as part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople) Orthodox Church of Finland, leading its history from the Valaam Monastery, whose monks preached Orthodoxy to the pagan tribes of Karelia in the Middle Ages.

An interesting linguistic situation in the ancient Alexandrian Patriarchate. “By the beginning of the 20th century, the number of Orthodox here was about one hundred thousand people (63 thousand Greeks, the rest are Orthodox Arabs of Syrian and Lebanese origin)” . However, thanks to active missionary activity on the African continent in the second half of the 20th century, the situation in the Patriarchate changed radically. In 1963, the Orthodox Christians of Uganda and Kenya entered the jurisdiction of this Local Church, and new dioceses were established in other African countries. As a result, today the Patriarchate has more than a million believers and is growing rapidly. It is important to note that the missionary activity of the Patriarchate of Alexandria is facilitated by its flexible, creative policy regarding liturgical languages. Divine services are held here not only on ancient Greek And Arabic, but also on contemporaryAfrican languages. Thus, in particular, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom translated and published by the Alexandrian Church in 50 African languages. In addition, books containing all the liturgies of the Orthodox Church, other sacraments and services are published in these languages.

IN GruzinskOth OrthodoxOth ChurchAnd exists ancient tradition translation of liturgical texts into the national language. The first translations of liturgical books into Georgian have been known since the 5th century. The Georgian liturgical language has come a long way of development. Its modern edition was formed in the second half of the 18th - 19th centuries. At this time, the Orthodox Church in Georgia came under strong Russian influence. An important role in this process was played by Catholicos-Patriarch Anthony I (Bagrationi, 1720-1788). He carried out the editing of Georgian liturgical books according to Church Slavonic models that were in use in the Russian Empire. In particular, he edited the Missal, the Octoechos, the Book of Hours, and the Lenten Triodion. In these books, not only the headings changed, but also the texts themselves. New chants were added that were previously absent in the Georgian tradition. Despite numerous shortcomings in the books prepared for publication by Catholicos Anthony and his collaborators, it is this edition of liturgical texts that still prevails in the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The language of the liturgical books of the Georgian Orthodox Church is qualified as dOld Georgian. But it is more understandable for modern Georgians than, for example, the Church Slavonic language is for modern Ukrainians. The fact is that in the ancient Georgian language there is, first of all, archaic vocabulary. And Church Slavonic retains grammatical and syntactic norms that are not found in the modern Ukrainian language. There are almost no initiatives to translate the service from ancient Georgian into modern Georgian, since the Church does not see a special need for this.

The language situation in Serbstoth OrthodoxOth ChurchAnd has its own specifics. Traditionally, in the Serbian lands, worship was performed in Church Slavonic. Until the 18th century, a Serbian version of this language existed here (in Serbian scientific literature, as a rule, it is called the “Serbo-Slavic language”). However, in the 18th - early 19th centuries it was supplanted by the Russian version of the Church Slavonic language (or "Russian-Slavonic language", as it is called in Serbia). This happened as a result of powerful Russian influence on the church life of the Serbs. Liturgical books published in Russia are distributed in church communities both on the territory of the Serbian state and in Austria-Hungary and Montenegro. The majority of Serbian bishops and clergy (especially in the 19th century) were educated in the theological academies of the Russian Empire. All this leads to the gradual displacement of the “Serbo-Slavonic language” from the liturgical use.

At the end of the 19th century, there were already calls for the revival of the traditional liturgical language of the Serbs (“Serbo-Slavonic”), and for the translation of liturgical texts into modern Serbian. As a result, the first Serbian translations of liturgical texts appeared in the first half of the 20th century. For example, back in the 1930s, the well-known Serbian ascetic of piety, the Monk Justin Popovich, translated the liturgy of John Chrysostom into modern Serbian. By the beginning of the 1960s, the Missal, Small and Large Trebniks, and separate parts of Oktoikh had already been translated into Serbian. In the early 1960s, part of the Serbian bishops and clergy advocated the official introduction of the modern Serbian language into worship. As a result, in 1964 the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church officially sanctioned the liturgical use of the modern Serbian language. In fact, this meant the recognition of the Serbian and Church Slavonic languages ​​as two equal languages ​​of worship. This approach has been repeatedly confirmed by the supreme authority of the Serbian Church. In particular, on May 23, 1986, the Council of Bishops of the Serbian Church determined that the liturgical languages ​​in it are Church Slavonic and modern Serbian. Today, each parish of the Serbian Church is free to choose one of these languages ​​of worship. At the same time, church authorities are taking measures to ensure that the introduction of the Serbian language into worship does not lead to the complete displacement of Church Slavonic. Thus, on July 20, 2012, His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Serbia issued an order that in all parishes on the territory of the Belgrade-Karlovatsk Archdiocese the Divine Liturgy should be celebrated at least once a month in Church Slavonic.

Over the past decades, work has been carried out in Serbia on the translation of liturgical books. Although there is still no complete corpus of liturgical books in the Serbian language. Depending on the locality and characteristics of parish life, either Serbian or Church Slavonic may be used in worship. You can often see how both languages ​​coexist in the same worship. Some texts are read (sung) in Serbian, while others are in Church Slavonic.

Romanian Orthodox Church. Until the 17th century, in Moldavia and Wallachia (from which the Romanian state was formed in the 19th century), Church Slavonic. The work of translating Holy Scripture and liturgical texts into Romanian began as early as the 17th century, since the local population did not understand Church Slavonic well. TO early XVIII century, thanks to the work of the outstanding hierarch, publisher and church writer, Hieromartyr Anfim of Iberia, Metropolitan of the Ugro-Walachian, the translation of the service was completed. In fact, Saint Anfim revived Christian self-consciousness in Wallachia and Moldavia. Since then and to this day, divine services in the Romanian Orthodox Church are performed on literary Romanian. Since for several centuries the Slavic language was used here as a liturgical language, there are many Slavic words in the modern Romanian church vocabulary. It should be noted that in order to replace obsolete and incomprehensible words and expressions in Romania, liturgical texts are regularly edited. This work is carried out by the Biblical Institute of the Romanian Patriarchate, which prepares liturgical texts for publication. The last edition was carried out in 2009, so that ordinary Romanians perfectly understand their liturgical language.

BulgarianIOrthodoxIChurchov. The beginning of translations of liturgical texts into modern Bulgarian and their use in worship dates back at least to the beginning of the 20th century, when Metropolitan Boris of Ohrid (Georgiev, 1875-1938) published Trebnik (1908) and the Service Book with parallel Church Slavonic and Bulgarian texts (1910). The decision on the desirability of worship in the modern Bulgarian language was taken by the IV Church and People's Council (July 2-4, 1997), which issued a resolution: "Encourage the use of modern Bulgarian in worship."

At present, in most churches of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, both Church Slavonic and Bulgarian are present in worship, and these languages ​​are distributed, as a rule, as follows: what is read (and, above all, Holy Scripture, i.e. the Gospel, Apostle and proverbs), sounds in Bulgarian, what is sung is in Church Slavonic. This way of coexistence of the two languages ​​is explained primarily by the fact that almost no hymnography has been translated into Bulgarian (Mineya, Oktoikh, Triod [Lenten and Colored]). As in the 18th-19th centuries, Russian editions of these liturgical books are used today in Bulgarian churches. The described state of affairs is violated in some cases: for example, in Sofia there are temples where divine services are performed exclusively in the national language; at the same time, there are parishes where the Church Slavonic language predominates (however, Scripture is read almost everywhere in Bulgarian).

feature Polish Orthodox Churches is that most of her flock are ethnic Belarusians and Ukrainians. Until the 1920s, the Orthodox population in Poland belonged to the Russian Church. Therefore, the traditional language of worship here was Church Slavonic. But in the 1920s and 1930s, largely under the pressure of the state, which sought to get rid of the Russian heritage in Poland, the process of “nationalization” of church life began. Already in 1922, the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in Poland decided to introduce the Polish language into the educational process in theological seminaries and to encourage preaching in Polish. Shortly after the Orthodox Church in Poland received autocephaly from the Patriarchate of Constantinople (1924), Metropolitan Dionisy (Waledinsky) of Warsaw created a commission whose duties included translating liturgical texts into Polish. However, by the mid-1930s, the activity of this commission was not particularly active.

In 1935, a new translation commission was created, which included professors from the Orthodox Theological Studio of Warsaw University, as well as representatives of the Orthodox military clergy (they were subordinate not only to the church, but also to the state authorities; the mandatory introduction of worship in Polish in military churches was a requirement of the state ). Soon the first Polish translations of liturgical texts began to appear, which were used primarily in military churches. The state, when appointing Orthodox military chaplains, paid special attention to their loyalty to the Polish state and fluency in the Polish language. Therefore, in fact, it was the Orthodox chaplains who played the main role in the introduction of the Polish language into worship in the 1930s.

It should be noted that in the 1920s and 30s, as part of the “nationalization” of church life in Volhynia, work was carried out to translate the Holy Scriptures and liturgical texts into Ukrainian as well.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Orthodox Church in Poland almost did not translate liturgical texts. Therefore, today in most parishes in Poland, the Church Slavonic language is preserved. At the same time, certain parts of the service are heard in Polish (for example, certain litanies, the Apostle, the Gospel, etc.). However, there are also communities that celebrate services entirely in Polish. For example, in Warsaw, worship in Polish is performed in the chapel of St. George (rector - priest Heinrich Paprocki). With the blessing of Metropolitan Savva of Warsaw and All Poland, this parish also conducts active translation work. Many liturgical texts in Polish are posted on the parish website.

Particular attention should be paid to the language situation in Albanian Orthodox Church. In the Middle Ages, divine services on the territory of Albania were conducted in Greek. At the same time, ethnic Albanians did not understand the Greek language well. By the beginning of the Ottoman conquest in Albania, the Holy Scriptures and worship had not been translated into the national language. As a result, the national Christian culture turned out to be rather weak. In addition, Albania was the sphere of the traditional struggle between the See of Rome and Constantinople. The ratio between Orthodox and Catholics in Albania in the XIV-XV centuries was approximately fifty to fifty percent. The absence of a strong national church culture and the constant confrontation between Eastern and Western Christians, according to modern researchers, became the reasons for the mass Islamization of Albanians. During the Ottoman period (throughout the 16th-17th centuries), the vast majority of Albanians (unlike Greeks, Serbs and Bulgarians) converted to Islam.

The first attempts to translate the Holy Scripture into Albanian date back only to the 18th-19th centuries. After the creation of an independent Albanian state (which received international recognition in 1914), a movement began among Orthodox Albanians for the autocephaly of their own Church, an integral part of which was the desire to introduce the state language into worship. In particular, in the 1920s, the well-known Albanian church and political figure, Bishop Fan (Feofan) Noli, translated liturgical and other church texts into Albanian and insisted on introducing the Albanian language into worship instead of Greek. However, from the second half of the 1940s, the communist era began in the history of Albania, distinguished by cruel persecution of the Church. At this time, the translation of the service was not carried out.

In the 1990s, the revival of the Orthodox Church in Albania began after its almost complete destruction during the communist period. Since 1992, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios (Yanulatos) has been the Primate of the Albanian Church. Being an ethnic Greek, however, in his ministry in Albania he staked on the development of Albanian church traditions. As a result, a broad translation and publishing program was initiated. Today, in the Albanian Orthodox Church, mainly Greek and modern Albanian are used in worship. The choice of the language of worship depends on the ethnic composition of the parish. Thanks to the well-thought-out missionary concept of Archbishop Anastassy, ​​the active development of Orthodoxy in Albania has continued over the past two decades. In fact, a new Albanian church tradition, an integral part of which is worship in the Albanian language.

Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Eastern Christianity was brought to the territory of modern Czech Republic and Slovakia by the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century. But later the Western rite won here. Therefore, Orthodox worship in the Czech Republic was almost unknown until the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century, Russians appeared on the territory of the Czech Republic. Orthodox churches in Prague, Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne and Frantiskovy Lazne. Since that time, ethnic Czechs, brought up in Catholic tradition. They hardly understand Church Slavonic. That is why, at the end of the 19th century, Russian priests in Prague began to make the first translations of liturgical texts into Czech.

Orthodoxy in the Czech Republic developed most actively in the 1920s and 30s. It was then that Hieromartyr Gorazd (Pavlik), Bishop of Czech and Moravian-Silesian, translated the body of the main liturgical texts into modern Czech. He also developed original chants for church voices, aimed at ethnic Czechs. This is how the modern practice of Czech Orthodox worship was born, which takes into account both the liturgical traditions of other Local Churches and the peculiarities of the Czech mentality. Today, worship in the Czech Republic can be performed both in modern Czech and in other languages. In particular, Church Slavonic is used in parishes uniting ethnic Russians. There are also Romanian-speaking parishes.

As for Slovakia, here the linguistic situation in the Orthodox Church has its own specifics. The place of compact residence of the Orthodox population is Eastern Slovakia (the so-called Pryashevshchina, bordering on Transcarpathian Ukraine). Here, Church Slavonic with a special local pronunciation is preserved in worship. The Slovak language as a liturgical language is not widely used here.

As you can see, modern languages ​​are used in worship in almost all Local Orthodox Churches. At the same time, the nature of their use is determined both by the peculiarity of local liturgical traditions and by the specifics of the current state of affairs in each individual Church, in particular, by the missionary tasks facing it.

It should be noted that the non-recognition autocephaly The Orthodox Church in America (this autocephaly was granted by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1970) by the Patriarchate of Constantinople hinders the process of consolidating Orthodoxy in America and creates certain diplomatic difficulties for the OCA, but does not violate the grace-filled life of this Church and does not interfere with its main mission: preaching Gospel and the building up of the Eucharistic life.

Alexandrian Orthodox Church // Local Orthodox Churches: Sat. - M.: Publishing House of the Sretensky Monastery, 2004. - C. 28.

Cm.: Orthodox Encyclopedia. Volume 12. - M., 2006. - S. 88-92.

1. [Illustration: Ancient "Euchologion" in Arabic].
2. [Illustration: December 6, 2015 in the Patriarchal Church of St. Nicholas in Cairo, the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodore II performed the chitoria of Bishop Athanasius of Kisum and Western Kenya (in the world - Amos Akunda Masaba)].
3. [Illustr.: Rev. Iustin Popovich, translator of the Divine Liturgy into modern Serbian].
4. [Illustr.: Mosaic image of the Holy Martyr. Anfim of Iversky, whose labors translated liturgical texts into Romanian].
5. [Illustr.: Boris (Georgiev), Metropolitan of Ohrid. Worked on compiling the synodal missal, took part in editing the synodal translation Bulgarian bible. Together with Mr. Gerasim Strumitsky translated the Bulgarian Missal (1908), compiled and published the collections “A Christian in St. Liturgies" (1935) and "Prayer Treasure" (1937)].
6. [Illustr.: Holy martyr. Gorazd (Pavlik), Bishop of Czech and Moravian-Silesian, who translated the body of the main liturgical texts into modern Czech].