This study traces how it is applied the rule of law regarding expropriation of the two estates. The study also explains how the parts of the two expropriated estates are divided to the residents of Scortaru Nou village, Brăila county. In Scortaru Nou village, Brăila county, there were two estates belonging to Grădişteanu family: the domain Sihleanu in surface of 2,250 ha and the estate Ariciu in surface of 1,600 ha. The estates were subject, as well as all large estates in the country, of the expropriation laws that preceded the agrarian laws. They were subject to the 1918 law decrees, agrarian law of 1921 and agrarian law of 1945. The estates belonged to class II boyar - Zamfir Sihleanu. These estates reach in the wealth of Grădişteanu family, old boyar family of royal descent, by the marriage between Elena Sihleanu, daughter of Zamfir Sihleanu boyar with Constantine Grădişteanu. Later, the estates of Sihleanu and Ariciu reach also in the Ghica’s family wealth by the marriage between the daughter of Constantine Grădişteanu and Elena Sihleanu, Mary, with Scarlat Ghica. In 1919, when the estates are subject to expropriation, the heirs of this beautiful fortune are John C. Grădişteanu, Şerban Ghica and Mary Ştefănescu. Later, in 1945, the heirs are Elena A. Bogdan and Michael Grădişteanu.
More...Keywords: Late Bronze Age; south-eastern Transylvania; Noua Culture; “ashmounds”; 14C dating;
The present paper is discussing a recently found Late Bronze Age settlement belonging to the Noua culture, discovered during field surveys in the Târgu Secuiesc Depression. On the territory of the former settlement, ten “ashmounds” were identified, with a rich archaeological material, mostly represented by pottery and bone fragments (including six crenated scapulae), an awl, and a few stone objects. Archaeozoological analysis was also carried out, the results being published in this study. For the dating of the site, we have a radiocarbon date, which suggests the use of the settlement (at least partially) between 1441-1282 cal BC. Animal (mostly cattle) husbandry was the main economic activity. The processing of animal hides was probably also an important activity in this settlement.
More...Keywords: Christian love; Eros; agape; secularization; consumerism;
It is clear that humanity is marked by a profound spiritual crisis of identity, conscience and sense of life. The existence is often trivialized in the consciousness ofcontemporary man, the modern man, which amplifi es the crisis. We must be convinced that what we now call „European culture and civilization” is presented as anon-spiritualized, non-sacramental reality, detached by the spirituality of its basis- the Gospel, while talking about the post-Christian Europe. This study brings a newperspective on addressing the virtue of Christian love as the basis of Eastern spirituality, and absolutely necessary for the improvement of man’s salvation, throughthe paths of asceticism and Christian mysticism in the light of Holy Scripture andHoly Fathers of the Orthodox Church. In the context of today’s world – an unvaluedsociety marked by strong ancient and consumerist accents that spreads ephemeral“values” and pseudo-values, Christian love is the foundation of world’s buildingprocess, the basis of man’s creation, also the basis of the relationship between Godand man,as a start in ecumenical dialogue. The current study is also a short analogybetween philosophical love and Eros and between Christian love and agape.
More...Keywords: First World War; Romania; Săliște; Alba Iulia; memoirs;
A prolific historian, a professor of the Andreian Seminary in Sibiu, parish priest of Săliștea and an archpriest of Mărginimea Sibiului, a professor of the ‘King Ferdinand I’ University in Cluj, a titular member of the Romanian Academy, a talented publicist, a co-founder of the Institute of National History in Cluj, a deputy in the Parliament of Greater Romania, a minister in the Averescu and Goga-Cuza governments, a patriot and victim of the Bolshevik regime in the1950s’ Romania, Ioan Lupaș is a scholar with the aura of a saint. Fr. Lupaș is part of the admirable generation of those who committed themselves with all their power and selflessness to the national movement of the Transylvanian Romanians, those who achieved the Union of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana and Maramureș with the Kingdom of Romania on 1 December 1918 and then fought for the consolidation of national unity during the interwar period. Lupaș is part of the leading gallery of the makers of Greater Romania, and one of the few historians-participants who later wrote relevant pages about the astral event in which they were active participants. The study provides a brief biography of Ioan Lupaș, focusing on the activity of the archpriest at the time of the First World War, his involvement in the organization of the Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia, and the way in which he subsequently remembered the events and feelings experienced in the year of the ‘fortunate fulfilling of long-awaited goals’ and of ‘thoroughly well-deserved triumph.’
More...Keywords: built heritage; iconic architecture; representations; picture postcards; cultural and national identity;
The built heritage, through the multiple meanings it associates (oldness, architectural, aesthetic, symbolic, authenticity), is characterized by uniqueness and irreversibility, being frequently related to the cultural and implicitly tourist image of cities. Due to the seniority of architectural heritage and the special relations established with the place and people, under the direct influence of the socio-cultural and political factors, it ensures the accumulation of symbols that codify the urban space. As a result, heritage buildings are associated with elements of territorial identity. Visual imagery is used as an argument to support the process of selecting significant buildings for local / national culture. These are promoted among the general public. Most of the time, the selection process aim s at identifying representative buildings, a process that registers the influence of socio-cultural and politic factors. This article focuses on the socio-cultural evolution of the Romanian Athenaeum, a symbolic building of the Romanian culture. Based on a rich background of historical illustrations and recent observations, the authors analysed the symbols associated with the Romanian Athenaeum, in various historical periods. The authors used a sample of picture postcards with representations of the Athenaeum and interpreted the information they provided. The key results show the cultural role of the Athenaeum for the capital city, Bucharest, and its relation with the political factor, as this building was selected as the host for important political events with a deep historical charge, most often having the support of national authorities. In the course of time, the Athenaeum was represented constantly in picture postcards, as cultural building symbol and tourist attraction, due to its unique characteristics which emphasize its role as element of urban identity for Bucharest. At the same time, the interpretation of visual imagery allowed the decoding of the symbols and identification of the identity narrative and politics built around the Athenaeum, which, through the interactions generated by the socio-cultural and political plans, confer it the quality of symbolic building for the national and European culture.
More...Keywords: field-walking; Cracău river basin; archaeological sites; behavioural patterns;
The need to carry out archaeological research in order to discover new sites and locate the old ones, pushed us to conduct a research in middle Cracău basin, where the geographical characteristics, typical for a foothill depression, were most suitable for human habitation. The first researches in the study area were started more than 80 years ago, when the priest Constantin Matasă, a pioneer in archaeological research, conducted the first field walking and diggings. Although the area is relatively small, our field walking led to the discovery of 20 new archaeological sites, dated from Neolithic to Middle Ages, distributed along the terraces from the right bank of Cracău River. Some of the settlements were seated according to topographical characteristics and the natural resources, some behavioural patterns being identified.
More...Keywords: viticulture; wine; wine law; consumer; wine production; wine marketing;
In many countries, viticulture and the wine industry have an important contribution to national economies, and Romania is one of these countries. Therefore, it is important that the legal regulations applicable to this sector of activity are known, respected and improved, thus contributing to the correct and legal development of the wine industry. Through this article, we aim to present both a short history of the Romanians` vineyards and wine production, but especially a synthesis of the national and European normative framework, in the context of Romania's EU membership. This is also because wine does not only mean good mood and beautiful stories, but it is an entire industry that grows, produces, transports, sells and buys, establishing legal relationships with partners and consumers, having the obligation to comply with applicable legal rules. In this context, being a first legal study that we intend to deepen, we have included both a summary of the situation of the vineyard and wine at European level, and of the Romanian particularities, including from a legal perspective.
More...Keywords: Alexandru Todea; Reghin; Blaj; Greek‑Catholic Church; bio‑bibliographic file;
The study entitled Cardinal Alexandru Todea (1912–2002). Bio-bibliographic file is intended to be a bio‑bibliographic file of the personality of the Romanian Greek‑Catholic cardinal Alexandru Todea, a successor of Petru Maior as professor at Blaj and archpriest at Reghin, who became Metropolitan of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek‑Catholic, and Cardinal of the Catholic Church. The originality of the approach consists in the fact it is first file that, beyond the biographical data, existing in other work, rewiew Alexandru Todea’s articles published in the Blaj periodicals “Unirea” and “Cultura Creștină”, but also presents the bibliographic references about Alexandru Todea, in chronogical order. Thus, this file (obviously incomplete and perfectible) is useful as a working tool for theologians and historians who will deepen the theological thinking and vision of Cardinal Alexandru Todea.
More...Keywords: Greek Catholic Church; Theology; Literature; Interwar Period; Alexandru Nicolescu; United States of America;
Alexandru Nicolescu is better known as a Greek Catholic bishop and metropolitan, but he was also an interesting church writer. After studying in Blaj and Rome, he was a missionary in North America (in the USA but apparently also in Canada); returned to Transylvania, he worked as a teacher in Blaj.Alexandru Nicolescu was one of the few Romanian clerics in the Austro-Hungarian Empire or in the Kingdom of Romania at the beginning of the 20th century who had contact with North American civilization and had a thorough knowledge of English.In Nicolescu's writings we can detect this double influence: the rigor of theology of Western origin - as a result of his studies in Rome - and an apparent American "modernism", both raised on the Transylvanian Greek Catholic tradition. Certainly the model of bishop - or rather of the Christian that Nicolescu cultivated - was influenced by the Christian of the "New World".That is why his literary production was an original at the time of its appearance in the Romanian cultural space, with many elements of novelty in the theological approach to many problems of daily life. Probably this type of theological approach would have developed in the Greek Catholic Church in a certain specific direction if the rupture of 1948 had not intervened. All these details make us believe that Alexandru Nicolescu's writings are all the more interesting. for today's reader as they mark a moment of uniqueness in the history of Greek Catholic theological literature in Romania.
More...Keywords: Romania; Croatia; Ustasha; Propaganda; Axis; Nazi Germany; Ante Pavelić; Ion Antonescu;
The official cultural relations between Romania and Croatia in 1941- 1944 have developed having as starting point two political and ideological regimes which were totalitarian, anti-Semite, xenophobe, lacking any openness towards civic, social or cultural freedom (considering the terms in which the norms can be applied to a democratic society). The Croatian ideological exclusivism has hindered the development of abundant bilateral relations – including the cultural ones – with Romania. This is also the context in which, in the Balkans, Zagreb did not succeed in finding too many political, diplomatic and ideological projects common with Bulgaria. Tsar Boris III was rather insisting for closer economic, politic and cultural connections with Romania, while already from 1943 it was obvious the closeness between Bulgaria and Hungary. Coming from Bucharest, the ambiguous attitude in the foreign policy – especially after year 1942 the Romanian diplomats and officials have contacted the representatives of the Allies for a possible withdrawal from the Axis – did not help in reaching a conclusive and increased closeness to a political regime considered as a marionette and, consequently, with no future. Under these circumstances, the segregation of political, military and strategical interests from the propagandistic–cultural ones, even in the conditions of vital necessity of stopping and/or combating Hungarian lines of action in Central and South-Eastern Europe and in the capital cities of the Axis, has become practically impossible. Already the dissolution of the fascist regime in Italy and the transformation of Croatia into a German dominion, in the second half of year 1943, has marked the freezing of the bilateral Romanian-Croatian relations: in the spring of 1944 the rupture had become already predictable.The Croatian culture was confronted not only with the unmerciful linguistic obstacle (in the alliance of the Axis were predominating the speakers of Germanic and Romanic languages) yet also and especially with the precariousness of the means of expression, of strategies and means of action during the four years of existence of the Ustasha Croatian state. The official Propaganda, evenly disseminated by means of the few diplomatic missions abroad, has rapidly replaced the efforts of promoting the real cultural values. The selection of such has become a bureaucratic strategy often used as political weapon of response to the unfriendly actions of the neighbours. The public representing Romanian readers did not read translations from the Croatian literature during the Second World War, it could not enjoy the achievements in the art of this country, it has listened only seldom – and only to the radio – some specific musical rhythms and it did not succeed in buying from kiosks magazines or journals published in Zagreb. Excerpts of Ante Pavelić’s speeches, news taken over from the censure, of no importance, short documentaries of propaganda, some specific photographs ingeniously elaborated by the Ustasha propaganda, these represent all the information that Croatia has released in Romania throughout the three years of alliance. The same way, the dissemination of Romanian culture in Croatia took place also through the means of official channels of propaganda. The outbreak of the war against U.S.S.R. has determined the political leadership in Bucharest to decide the assimilation of propagandistic efforts with the cultural official changes.
More...Keywords: moţi; territory; the Apuseni Mountains; population; authorities; bodies; revitalization;
In this article, we approach and try to clarify some aspects regarding the geographical and historical area of Ţara Moţilor, the names of the inhabitants of Ţara Moţilor and the discussions around the establishment of a county of moţi.The article provides detailed information about Țara Moţilor, a land with a famous historical past spread over the territory of several counties in the Apuseni Mountains. For centuries, the country of the moţi was a distinct area from economic, ethnographic, historical, geographical, etc. point of view, with traditional secular occupations, a more isolated area, with a poor way of life. However, it benefited from many natural riches. Over time, the country of the moţi was divided and belonged to different administrative-territorial units. The article presents the wonderful inhabitants of the Apuseni named by different authors: moţi, hopi, moţi crișeni, moți arieseni, mocani, munteni, Romanians. The article provides information about temperament, characterization, description and occupations of moți. In general, the moți are friendly, welcoming and empathic about other people’s troubles, but violent when they are wronged. For centuries, the main concerns of the moți have been related to ensuring daily living, preserving the language, popular costume and Orthodox religion, freedom and dignity, ancient traditions and customs. The secular problems of the moţi, as the inhabitants of Ţara Moţilor were generally called, could be posed after the Great Union of 1918, especially in the interwar period, in the Romanian media, in the tribune of the Romanian parliament, and to the Romanian governmental authorities. Due to the fact that the region was homogeneous from an economic, social and historical point of view, but divided into several administrative-territorial parts, the moți demanded the establishment of a county of their own to solve socio-economic problems and revitalize the area - unrealized thing. However, since 1918, several private or state bodies have been operating to solve the problems of the socio-economic return of the Land of the Moţi from the Apuseni Mountains, which through their actions have collaborated for the socio-economic development of the area.
More...Keywords: nephrite; jadeite; Neolithic; Serbia; stone; green colour
The focus of this text is twofold. The first task is to reconsider the mode of interpretation of various small (4 to 10 cm) objects (axes, chisels, finger-rings, pendants), made of green minerals – jadeite and/or nephrite. These objects are registered on 15 sites in the territory of present-day Serbia, dated into the Neolithic period (6200/6000–4600/4500 cal BC). The second task is to lay out a short history of the green colour. As stated by Michel Pastoureau (Pasturo 2015), the pro-duction of a green pigment was almost impossible in the past, especially in praehistory. The first recorded attempts are linked to Ancient Egypt, and the oldest successful production of the green pigment is dated to Ancient Rome. Therefore, the text examines the symbolic role of these small green objects during the Neolithic.The beds of green minerals jadeite and nephrite are not recorded in the territory of Serbia. Jadeite may be found south of Skopje (Mt. Solunska glava), in the Cyclades in Greece, as well as in the Piedmont Alps. Nephrite is registered in the mountain Ogražden (SW Bulgaria), in Po-land, Sweden, and Italy. The absence of mineral layers in the region surely suggests the exist-ence of long-distance exchange. This raises the issue of the role and symbolic function of these objects – what was their appeal for the past communities and what was the role of their colour in their manufacture?In archaeology, the studies in symbolics of various colours are rare. Authors have mainly fo-cused upon the origin of the colour and the dating of the objects, but the role of the colour itself as the criterion in choosing various raw materials has largely been neglected. Notable is the ex-ception of the thematic collection “Colouring the Past: The Significance of Colour in Archaeo-logical Research” (2002), where attempts have been made to explain the symbolic importance of various colours in the past. However, the colour green is not mentioned. This paper does not aim to offer final solutions, but to investigate the usage and importance of the colour green on the grounds of the usage of the objects themselves.
More...Keywords: magic thinking; wolf cult; holy days; offering; taboo;
The wolf cult is spread across the globe wherever the animal existed or continues to hunt. Romanian folk beliefs thus receive echoes from various cultures of the world, proving that Canis lupus is feared and respected at the same time. The article makes use of unpublished data from The Folklore Archive of Moldavia and Bukovina to argue that Christian holidays have overwritten previous cultural practices that pursued a harmonious life together with wild animals, and the wolf in particular. Connections with numerous mythologies are invoked to suggest that the image of the “big bad wolf” is recent, while as its statute of an ally runs much deeper. Current strategies on biodiversity raise awareness on the benefits brought by traditional knowledge about the universe.
More...Keywords: Boethius; De consolatione philosophia; incunabula; Brukenthal Library; manuscripts;
As a librarian, the author of this paper is dealing with Boethius’ ‘Deconsolation philosophiae’, starting with three incunabula from the Brukenthal Museum Library, and continuing with medieval manuscripts of the book widespread in other libraries. The author interest is also focused on Boethius – his era, the political framework, and his tragic destiny – as well as on the importance of the book throughout the centuries.
More...Keywords: communism; repression of human rights; emigration; illegal border crossing; Securitate;
Almost all socialist countries were confronted with a social phenomenon thatproved the resistance of a large part of the population to communist regimes – illegalemigration. Travel restrictions imposed by communist regimes to suppressemigration to the West have led some citizens, who wanted a better and freer life forthemselves and their families, to try dangerous forms of escape, such as fraudulentborder crossings. During Nicolae Ceausescu's time, the phenomenon increased inintensity in direct proportion to the deepening of the political and economic crisis,becoming a serious problem for the authorities. Therefore, a repressive mechanismwas conceived and implemented by the force structures of the communist state, led bythe Securitate, in order to eradicate the phenomenon. In the context of amplifyingconspiracy theories in propaganda narratives, fugitives were increasingly identifiedwith traitors. The action of fleeing S.R.Romania was not seen as an aspiration to abetter life for individuals, but as a method of denigrating the image of the countryand its leader, being encouraged by "hostile foreign forces".
More...Keywords: civil law; canon law; judge; incompatibility; recusation;
Justice in the rule of law is seen from two perspectives: as a system of court bodies and as an activity conducted by competent bodies. By its norms, the civil adjective law sets in detail every phase and stage undergone in the civil lawsuit. Seen in relation to the civil action, the canon action or the church action represents the ensemble of procedural means stipulated by “The Regulations of the disciplinary canon authorities and the court bodies of the Romanian Orthodox Church” regarding the protection of the subjective right of the members of the Church, clergy and laypeople, the compliance with the discipline rules, the internal canon order and the moral-clerical values, according to the directions of the Holy Canons and the canon tradition, the State, for the organization and functioning of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the application of its regulations, the decisions of the Holy Synod, the orders and the resolutions of the church authorities. The judicial power carries out their activity in line with some democratic principles intended to contribute to achieving an impartial and equitable justice. Since the very beginning of Christianity the church judgment has been attributed to the church canon authority, which is not a purely human authority, as is the case of the civil authority, but an authority of divine nature. The church and the human judgment is achieved and finds its meaning in the Universal judgment, which is the confrontation of history and man with God’s justice at the end of time, when the whole world will be brought under the supreme authority of God and the divine decision, that is full of love and justice, will apply erga omnes.
More...Keywords: League of Christian National Defense; Romanian Brotherhood; Cluj; Anti-Semitic; Freemasonry;
The interwar period in Romania was characterized by the emergence and rise of several far-right groups with a nationalist touch. They carried out real anti-Semitic campaigns, thus looking for the culprits for the multiple persistent social and political problems in Romania. The anti-Semitic message escalated to the point of advancing conspiracy theories in which Freemasonry was a basic element. One of the most visible far-right organizations was the League of Christian National Defense, which also published the magazine „Romanian Brotherhood”. This publication appeared in Cluj, between 1925-1931. In its pages, real anti-Semitic campaigns took place, with a radical character, even reaching violent exhortations. In the present study we will be able to follow the escalation of the anti-masonic message in the pages of the magazine, trying to make a correlation of the texts with the socio-political realities of the time. Thus we will be able to observe the manipulation methods used, reaching the climax, the triggering of a real witch hunt, or more precisely in this case, a Freemason hunt.
More...Keywords: treasure; silver; earring; bracelet; tiara
Inside the Carpathian Arch, on the present territory of Romania and the Serbian Banat, were discovered several treasures that contain items attributable to the Balkan space in terms of the typology of most items. Most of them were discovered either in marginal areas, where the Wallachian voivodes had domains (Amnaș, Streza-Cârțișoara, Brașov), or near the border areas close to the Danube (Dubovac, Duplijaja and Macoviște) and on the Lower Tisza (Banatski Despotovac). The exceptions are the treasures from Șopteriu (where only remains of a tiara were found, more specifically necklaces with pendants), Sâmbăteni and Brașov. To these is added another one found in the former county of Maramureș. The analyzed treasures include tiaras plate, hair rings, earings, temple earrings, coins, glass bracelets, silver bracelets, buttons, metal vesels, fragments of ingots, buckles. In some treasures the items have different origins, balkanic or central european. The chronology of the burial of the treasures indicates first of all the Tatar invasion of 1241-1242, but also the following ones from the thirteenth century. For the other situations, the causes had rather local reasons. For the middle Danube area, we must not forget the attacks of the Cumans from the end of the thirteenth century, when numerous destructions of the localities from the lower Tisza plain were attested. Other important moments can be related to the Danube conflicts between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, especially during the reign of Sigismund of Luxembourg (1387-1437). In southern Transylvania, the situation can be linked either to the tense relations between the king and the Saxons in the south of the region, but also to possible Tatar invasions on the Olt valley at the end of the thirteenth century and the beginning of the fourteenth century. Starting with the fifteenth century, the burial of the treasures can be attributed to the Turkish invasions.
More...Keywords: Reconciliation; nuncio Marmaggi; ceremony; diplomatic pressure; secular celebration;
The present study examines the complications that the confessional situation of King Ferdinand I (namely the fact that, as a Catholic, he was excommunicated for almost two decades by the Holy See due to the flagrant violation of certain rules of conduct, and the reconciliation granted to him by the pontifical court at the end of the World War I presupposed the observance of strict conditions) generated in relation to the design and conduct of the royal coronation in Alba Iulia, on 15 October 1922. The plans of the various political decision-makers regarding the coronation ceremony, or the intentions of the Orthodox Church (an institution that had aspired to mark the event from a religious point of view) were meticulously negotiated at the top of the Catholic Church, a scenario of the coronation ceremony having thus been staged (mise en scène) in accordance with the requirements formulated by the pontifical diplomacy. This is therefore the aim of the present study, namely to untangle, for the first time in historiography, the complicated threads of an important public spectacle – the coronation of Romanian sovereigns in Alba Iulia – in whose preparation political intrigue, religious passions and diplomatic pressure were consumed.
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