Le Métropolite Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni, le General Prozorovski et la Ville de Galaţi
Metropolitan bishop Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni, general Prozorovski and Galaţi town

Summary/Abstract: Exarch of the Church of Moldova and Wallachia while the two principalities were under Russian occupation (1808-1812), the Romanian Metropolitan Bishop Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni (1746-1821) collaborated with the Russian General Alexandru Prozorovski (1732-1809) in the first year of the foreign occupation. The military duties of leader of the Russian army between October 1807 and August 1809 led General Prozorovski to Galaţi where he settled his headquarters. Meanwhile, he fell sick; therefore, he left the front - the command being taken over by General Bagration - and returned to Galaţi where he died on August 23, at the age of 77. A note found in the eparchial archives from Chişinău shows us that Metropolitan Bishop Gavriil was in Galaţi in September. He probably came here for attending the funerals of General Prozorovski. The General was properly buried in St. Nicholas Church from Galaţi, church which still exists nowadays, having been restored in 1839-1840. Former monastery, in the 17th century, it was here that Saint Atanasie Patelaria, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, resided between 1642 and 1653. In 1847, the daughters of this brave commander made a donation to St. Nicholas Church.

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