The Union of the Romanian Principalities of 1859 Celebrated at the Romanian Patriarchate

On 24 January 2013 we celebrate 154 years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities (1859), occurred on the Metropolitan Hill (Patriarchate Hill), in a building situated near the then Metropolitan Cathedral (Patriarchal Metropolitan at present). On this occasion, a remembrance service for the authors of the Union was celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral after the Divine Liturgy.

The religious service was celebrated by His Grace Varlaam Ploieşteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, assisted by a group of priests and deacons, in the presence of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, of His Eminence Gherasim, Archbishop of Râmnic, of His Grace Ciprian Câmpineanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, of academician Ionel Haiduc, of the members of the Romanian Academy, of the members of the Church National Council and of the members of the Eparchial Council of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.

After the Te Deum service, the Patriarch of Romania and all those present in the Patriarchal Cathedral went to the statue of prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza on the Patriarchate Hill. Here wreaths of flowers were laid on behalf of the Romanian Academy by President Ionel Haiduc and by vice-president of the institution Dan Berindei, and then, on behalf of the Romanian Patriarchate by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Then “Hora Unirii” chant was sung.

The event continued in “Patriarch Teoctist” Hall of the Patriarchate Palace with the meeting of the Romanian Academy organised together with the Romanian Patriarchate dedicated to the Union of the Romanian Principalities of 1859.

To start with the meeting, the Patriarch of Romania delivered the speech entitled “The Union of the Romanian Principalities – foundation of the unity of the Romanian State” in which he evocated, among other things, the importance of this day for the Orthodox Church.

“For our Church, the Union of the Romanian Principalities was the basis of the official recognition of the Autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1885, while the Union of 1 December 1918 was a favourable element for raising our Church to the rank of Patriarchate, in 1925. We thank God glorified in the Holy Trinity for all the beneficences of the Union of the Romanian Principalities, and remember with gratitude Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Metropolitan Nifon of Wallachia, Metropolitan Sofronie Miclescu and all those who contributed to the implementation of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. We pray God to help us keep and cultivate the gift of national unity as a symbol of the dignity of the Romanian people, acquired with much sacrifice, spiritual and material effort too, for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and welfare of our country”, His Beatitude said.

There followed the speech of the President of the Romanian Academy, Academician Ionel Haiduc who showed that “in fact, the first union of all Romanians was achieved in the cultural field. In 1866, when the Romanian Academy was set up as Literary Society in 1866, then as Academic Society in 1867 and a few years later as Romanian Academy, a name preserved till nowadays. The group of 21 founder members was made up of intellectuals, personalities from all regions inhabited by Romanians: Muntenia, Wallachia united with Moldova, as well as with Transylvania, Bessarabia, South of the Danube, Bucovina, so that the scientific, cultural, and intellectual union of the Romanians preceded the Great Union achieved later on”.

Then, the Vice-president of the Romanian Academy, Mr Academician Dan Berindei emphasised the fact that the Union of 1859 “was the first great victory which made the basis for the union of 1918, as well as of the independence of 1877, confirmed by Europe in 1878, and at Berlin, during the Berlin Congress. It has also been the basis of an extraordinary process of modernisation and reforms. What prince Cuza did during his seven year rule was remarkable in all fields of activity: political, financial, Church, educational. The Romanian society was renewed, but the day of the Union of 24 January remains an immortal day for us, the Romanians”.

The next Academician who took the floor was Mr Academician Ioan Bolovan, deputy director of the Centre of Transylvania Studies of the Romanian Academy, branch of Cluj-Napoca, deputy rector of the Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj who said that the “Union of 1859 could not help having influences, namely a favourable echo to the Romanians of Transylvania. The Union of 1859 achieved a remarkable clarification of the Transylvanian public spirit in the cultural movement, providing first of all the Romanians of Transylvania with a model of organisation of the society. The spreading of the national organisation brought about the most spectacular changes in the cultural field where the Romanians could affirm themselves. It was not by accident that Ioan Slavici published on the first page of the “Tribuna” newspaper the motto “For all Romanians the sun is rising in Bucharest”.

Mr Academician Gheorghe Cojocaru, director of the Institute for History, Law and State of the Academy of Science of the Republic of Moldova, seated in Chişinău, spoke about the contribution of the Bessarabian members in the ad hoc Assembly of Moldova to the Union of the Principalities: “Great Nicolae Iorga said in one of his speeches that in order to be justified the anniversaries must mean two essential things: a certificate of work for the past and a solemn engagement of work for the future. Such an anniversary which justifies to a full extent the meaning of both aspects great Nicolae Iorga was speaking about was and continues to be the act of 24 January 1859 which united Moldova to Wallachia under the sceptre of Alexandru Ioan Cuza and by which modern Romania could become reality. If the vicissitudes of the times made the setting up of a single Romanian state in the Middle Ages impossible, the tendencies of structuring the political unity of the Romanian countries were manifested more and more obviously till becoming a direct practical task in the modern time with the changes involved and the processes needed for renewing the society and for setting up the social structures necessary for affirming the nation and the national conscience.

The event celebrated in Patriarch Teoctist Hall ended with the recital by actor Dorel Vişan of a monologue of King Decebal of a play by the national poet Mihai Eminescu. Before reciting this fragment the great Romanian actor said: “Thank you, Your Beatitude, for inviting me to this wonderful hall and to this distinguished assembly to bring the words of the one named the Patriarch of the Romanian language with the personal sadness that I declare publicly as artist and as Romanian because we allow too many people to mock this language which is more beautiful than all the other ones that are preached to us.”

To end with, Tronos psalter chorus of the Romanian Patriarchate performed a concert in Europa Christiana hall of the Patriarchate Palace.

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