Ieromonahul Valentin Bilţ (1896-1960), printre morţii Aiudului
The Hieromonk Valentin Bilţ (1896-1960), between the dead of Aiud

One of the Romanian Martyr of the Faith in Collective Memory

Summary/Abstract: His name is engraved on The Monument ''The Aiud Ordeal'' among the many martyrs of that prison from the town of Aiud - one of the toughest of the Stalinist regime established in Romania after the WW II.According to the testimonies of those who knew him the hieromonk was a gentle modest man of a rare kindness.At the age of 18 he was sent to the Italian front during the WWI. Here turned home with an injured body and a traumatized soul and chose to dedicate his life to God, praying for his kinsmen, preaching the Gospel and hoping to make people kinder to each other. His Christian name was Victor but he became a monk under the name of Valentin and later he was ordained to the priesthood.While serving in the parish of Leurda - a Transylvanian village near Dej - father Valentin Bilt tried to help the villagers who were being forced into collectivization through Stalinist methods. He addressed memorandums to the authorities of the totalitarian regime seeking compassion for his parishioners.For his endeavors he was tried as an enemy of the political regime and condemned to 6 years in jail. He made it only through the first 2 years of tough prison.

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