The hierarchs of a diocese visit their spiritual children, both among the clergy and amongst the faithful, to see them and tostrengthen them in the faith through counsel given to help them bear the hardships of this earthly life more easily, but also to combat vices of all kinds, as well as to foster spiritual unity and strengthen the bond between the hierarchy and the parishioners. Thus, these canonical visits are a blessed opportunity for the spiritual upliftment of a parish’s congregation. Bishop Athanasius of Râmnic – Noul Severin visited, on Sunday 24 August and Monday 25 August 1903, the parishes in the Lotru Valley: Brezoi, Mălaia and Voineasa in the north of Vâlcea County. At the beginning of the 20th century, this valley enjoyed a fine reputation, both for its location, beauty and natural riches, as well as for the parishioners of these parishes, who were held in high regard for preserving their faith despite all the hardships they had endured, having built churches since time immemorial to meet their spiritual needs. With the start of logging in the ancient forests of the Lotru Valley in the second half of the 19th century, workers from Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany and elsewhere arrived in the area, of various religious faiths, who influenced the customs and traditions that the inhabitants of these lands had inherited from the past; this is why the bishop turned his attention to these parishes.
From the chronicle1 of this visit, we learn about aspects of people’s lives, customs, historical facts, notable figures and traditions, as well as the fact that Bishop Atanasie, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Monastery of Cozia, on Sunday, 24 August 1903, set off by carriage for Brezoi, where he was met by the parish priest2 and a very large number of parishioners dressed in their Sunday best, at the parish church dedicated to the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple3, at half past one. In the new holy place, he spoke to his listeners with great enthusiasm, explaining that he had long intended to come and visit them, but had been held back by numerous administrative issues. He praised the parishioners’ devotion to the church in which they were gathered, which was in a very good state, noting that it is in holy places that the most useful advice for living a good life is given and received. He had heard that certain practices alien to the faith, such as alcoholism and cohabitation, had found their way into their community, and so he urged them to steer clear of them. He then visited the family of the mayor, Ion Bardașu 4, whose home was characterised by cleanliness, order and abundance, and where he was treated to sweets and coffee.
At half past two, the carriage set off for the village of Mălaia. The journey to the new parish is described. The recently constructed road5 wound its way alongside the Lotru and “like an enchanted sash, it binds together the hills and mountains along the way. The entire valley is criss-crossed by tracks for hauling logs from the mountains to the sawmill in Brezoi6. From time to time, one can see the logs resting on the gravel banks, as if, by stopping here, they were protesting against the violence to which they had been subjected, having been torn from the picturesque places where they first saw the light of day and lived out their time.”7
Near the branch church dedicated to Saint Nicholas in Săliște, which belongs to the Parish of Mălaia, the Lotru River is crossed via a high bridge made from a single tree, which, over time, had rotted away. The parish priest, Florea Pleșanu,8, and several female parishioners welcomed the bishop into the church. Many of the parishioners had been sent by the authorities to help extinguish a nearby forest fire. The parish priest gave an account of the church’s history, explaining that the holy place had been built at the insistence of the parishioners and with the help of “the late Novac 9, the former owner of the sawmill in Brezoi”, who had provided the necessary timber. On the exterior of the church, Death was depicted holding a scythe, as a symbol of divine judgement.
Upon arriving at the church dedicated to Saint Parascheva in Mălaia, the distinguished guests were welcomed by Mr Traian Bratu10, a teacher at the National High School in Iași and a state-funded scholar in Berlin, to study the German language. It should be noted that he organised this excursion, just as he had done in July 1906, from Câineni, over the mountains to Voineasa, in which Bishop Atanasie of Râmnic and Gherasim of Argeș took part, who were accompanied by numerous priests and other nature lovers11. For two years (1900–1902) he was a lecturer at the Saint Nicholas Orthodox Theological Seminary in Râmnicu Vâlcea and enjoyed a close friendship with Bishop Atanasie. The entire village population came to the church in Mălaia to welcome the bishop. The parish priest, Florea Pleșanu, said: ‘Your Grace, it has been 90 years – since 1813, n.n. – three months and five days since these parts were last visited by a most holy bishop. Ninety years ago, the late Bishop Joseph of Argeș12, who was from this village (n.n.), built the very church in which we now find ourselves to celebrate Your Grace’s visit; he had come to see his relatives. Whilst he was staying here, he learnt that many villagers were living together without being lawfully married. He ordered those people to be brought before him, and when they had gathered by the water’s edge, His Grace came to them. As the frogs were croaking, he signalled with his crozier for them to be silent, and they fell silent. Then, showing how contrary their way of life was to God’s laws, he made a sign of separation over them with his staff, and some passed to the right and some to the left, and the holy father made them swear a solemn oath never to live in such a lawless manner. The memory of that most holy man, enshrined in this account, lives on amongst my flock’. The Bishop replied that the example set by the shepherd of the Diocese of Argeș, the blessed Joseph, is also followed by his own humility, urging the parishioners to keep the faith, to put good examples into practice, not to forget God, and to come to church, where they might hear the words of eternal life. He spoke with the parishioners, asking them about their occupations and urging the men to uphold their traditions, and the women to continue the craft of weaving.
From Mălaia to Voineasa, the journey was made on horseback along a narrow track that winds up and down dizzying heights. The Mălaia–Voineasa road was completed in 190813. The chronicler describes the approach to Voineasa in beautiful imagery.
“The entire valley, with the neighbouring mountains—its guardians for centuries—is enveloped in the twilight of evening. Hidden spots are darkened by a cool shadow. The mountain peaks still hold the last glimmers of the sun’s rays, which, weary from the day’s journey, hasten towards their resting place in the chaos. The struggle between the fading light and the encroaching darkness produces a delightful visual spectacle of varied colours, some vivid, others faint, each replacing the next; ultimately, a play of colours that fades imperceptibly as the sun’s light recedes from the horizon. Yet, when all the nooks and crannies of nature were enveloped by the shadows of night and a deep stillness reigned over them, lo and behold, from the east another light appears, seeking to drive from the horizon even the pale red streak drawn at the edge of the sunset—a sign left behind by the sun on its dizzying journey towards other worlds. It is the moon, which, in its golden mantle, strides slowly across the horizon and casts a gentle light into the most secret nooks and crannies, suddenly lending them a melancholic air, full of deep reveries for the vast expanse of time from the Earth’s young and distant past. Near the village of Voineasa, after we had crossed a bridge to the right bank of the Lotru, she, the mistress of the night, lit our way. The occasional barking of dogs assured us of the presence of people in those hidden places. We had indeed reached Voineasa.
Through the fir trees, the path leads towards the village. The roaring of the Lotru and the moonlight—a bountiful scattering of luminous rays, which lend even the dust on the road varied and fantastical glimmers— make us gaze upon the village of Voineasa, bathed in the soft moonlight and surrounded by fir forests, like a settlement straight out of a fairy tale.
We cross the river on the left bank of the Lotru and stop in front of the house of the farmer Ion Bratu (father of Prof. Traian Bratu, ed.), who, together with his wife and daughter, welcomes us into the courtyard with: ‘Welcome, and may you be well!’
Having reached the destination of today’s journey, everyone sets about brushing off the dust and stretching their limbs.
After lunch, which we had been longing for following the fatigue of the journey, we all climb the hill behind our host’s house and, for about half an hour, delight in gazing at the soothing rays of the moon and surveying the Great Bridge, which stretches far into the mountains through a fantastical avenue of fir trees. The cool of the evening, further relaxing our limbs weary from the journey, we glide like shadows past the fir bushes, making our way down the mountain. With vivid impressions of what we have seen, we retire to rest and fall asleep to the secret murmur of the Lotru, which has been whispering all night long, recounting its millennia-old history.
The peaceful night’s rest meant we awoke the next day, Monday 25 August, with a palpable sense of cheerfulness in our hearts. After making thorough preparations for a longer journey, we mounted our horses and rode to the village parish church, dedicated to St Nicholas. After the polyhronium, His Grace addressed the people, saying: ‘Last night I stayed with a leading farmer from your village. A fine house, with spacious rooms, and cleanliness and order everywhere. On the way to the church, I saw many such households of yours. As much as these brought me joy, so my soul is saddened when I see how small, dark, stuffy and primitive the house of God is, where your offerings are brought and where prayers are said for your physical and spiritual well-being.
I urge you to do your utmost to build a church more suited to the times, lest the strangers who come here should laugh at us, for I shall be forced to close this church”14.
The hierarch was accompanied by the Reverend Iconom Stavrofor Meletie Răuțu, Archpriest of Vâlcea County, Messrs Traian Bratu and D. Șireteanu, head of the chancellery of the Holy Diocese, as well as the following priests: Iconom T. Popescu, parish priest of Fișcălia; Sachelar Ioachim Iliescu, parish priest of Recea; Sachelar Adam Ștefănescu, parish priest of Vaideeni; Florea Pleșanu, parish priest of Mălaia, and Ion Cepăreanu 15, parish priest of Voineasa, the reverend deacon Emanoil C. Mărculescu of the Holy Diocese; whilst the singer Toma Gh. Nicolaescu from Voineasa and another man were entrusted with looking after the luggage. The journey continued alongside the River Lotru along a path that wound its way past huge cliffs, crossing the Lotru on wooden bridges over deep gorges. After passing Piatra Lotrului, they reached the Dobrunul checkpoint, where the Lotru River marks the border with Transylvania. Fearing the raging waters, the path leaves the Lotru riverbed and climbs steeply and with difficulty to the top of the cliff, above the Lotru Cataracts, from where Grebla can be seen16. They reach the lake, where the Lotru is held back by sturdy weirs. From the Vidra outpost, they climbed Mount Mănăileasa and spent the night at the sheepfold of Old Ilie al Nițului (Prodan), where they were served a mixture of food and boiled sheep’s milk. On Wednesday, 27 August 1903, they descended Mount Runculeț towards Voineasa from the summit of Mănăileasa, from where they gazed upon the surrounding mountains, with their varied shapes: Parâng, Nedeia, Vidra and Pietrimanul. From Voineasa, Bishop Atanasie returned to the Holy Monastery of Cozia, whilst the delegation accompanying him continued their journey to Râmnicu Vâlcea.
- 1
“A canonical visit to the Lotru Valley, Vâlcea County”, in Cuvântul Adevărului, Year II (1903), no. 12, Wednesday, 1 October 1903, pp. 89–92.
- 2
This refers to Father Florea Marinescu, who was the parish priest in Brezoi at that time. For further details, see: Gheorghe N. Efrim, Brezoi, Pages of History, Sibiu, 2009, p. 122; Daniel Preoteasa, Ana-Maria Preoteasa, Orthodox Brezoi: Pages from the History of Places of Worship, Studis Publishing House, Iași, 2017, pp. 136–138.
- 3
The church was built by the Brezoi landowners Carol Novac, Oprea Niculescu, Ion Bardașu and others between 1888 and 1896, when it was consecrated.
- 4
For information on Mayor Ion Bardașu, see: Gheorghe N. Efrim, Brezoi: Pages of History, Sibiu, 2009, pp. 123–124.
- 5
D. J. A.N. Vâlcea County Prefecture Collection, File 195/1906. Between 1902 and 1906, according to a project, the Brezoi–Voineasa road was contracted out to D. Atanasiu and N. Bârsan.
- 6
Petre Bardașu; Gheorghe Simeanu, Brezoi – 100 Years of the Timber Industry, Râmnicu Vâlcea, 1973. In 1873, the second sawmill was established in Brezoi, following that in Galați in Wallachia, where logs were transported by raft down the Lotru River.
- 7
“A canonical visit to the Lotru Valley”…, p. 89.
- 8
Fr. Florea Pleșanu, 1878–1928. Born on 15 March 1855, a graduate of the lower seminary, Class I, appointed parish priest at Mălaia on 29 April 1878. C. C. Giurăscu, History of the Romanian Forest, Bucharest, 1975, p. 205.
- 9
We would like to point out that the church dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Hierarch was built with the help of Margareta, the wife of Carol Novac, in 1884, as he had passed away in 1881.
- 10
Fr. Nicolae Moga, ‘Traian Bratu (1875–1940)’, in Telegraful Român, Year (151) 2003, nos. 29–32, p. 7; Cristina Spinei, Aspects of Life: Traian Bratu in Letters and Documents, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași Press, 2019, p. 13; “Biographical Details of Professors and Senior Lecturers”, in the Yearbook of the Mihăilean University of Iași, 1930–1935, published by Traian Bratu, the incumbent rector of the University, Mihăilean University Press, Iași, 1936, pp. 208–209; Fr. Nicolae Moga, Gheorghe Stanciu, Voineasa – A Paradigm of Identity, Timpul Publishing House, Reșița, 2002, p. 226. ‘Yearbook of the Mihail University of Iași, 1930–1935’ (edited by Traian Bratu, the incumbent rector of the University), Mihail University Press, Iași, 1936, pp. 208–209; Karl Kurt Klein, ‘A Romanian Germanist, Professor Traian Bratu’, Excerpt from the Journal of Romanian Germanists, Year VI (1937), no. 2, in the Official Gazette of the State Printing Office, National Printing House, Bucharest, 1937, p. 7; D. Ivănescu, ‘Traian Bratu: Deep Faith in This Country and Its Future’ in Magazin Istoric, Year XXIV (1990), no. 9 (282), p. 33; Traian Bratu, ‘The German Language and Literature in Our Universities’, Excerpt from Convorbiri literare, Bucharest, 1908, p. 6.
- 11
Father Teodor Bălășel, In the Mountains and Monasteries, Gutenberg Publishers, Bucharest, 1913.
- 12
For further details and a bibliography, see: Rev. Nicolae Moga, Joseph, the First Bishop of Argeș, 1793–1820, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Conphys Publishing, 2007; History of the Romanian Orthodox Church, published by the Orthodox Biblical and Missionary Institute, Bucharest, vol. II, 1958, p. 256; Prof. Dr George Potra, ‘From the unpublished correspondence between church figures in Wallachia and Transylvania during the 18th and 19th centuries’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church, Year LXXXIII (1965), nos. 1–2, p. 136; Rev. Prof. Dr Mircea Păcurariu, History of the Romanian Orthodox Church, published by the Biblical and Missionary Institute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bucharest, 1981, p. 448; Archimandrite Chiriac Râmniceanu, Chronicle 1811–1827, Introductory study, notes and index by Archimandrite Veniamin Micle, The Holy Monastery of Bistrița, Diocese of Râmnic, 2003, p. 24; Ion Soare, Aneta Bardașu, The Light of the Book in Râmnic, Conphys Publishing House, Râmnicu Vâlcea, 2001, p. 31. Aurelian Sacerdoțeanu, ‘The Printing Press of the Diocese of Râmnic (1750–1825)’, in Mitropolia Olteniei, Year XII (1960), nos. 5–6, pp. 306–338; Nicolae, Metropolitan of Banat, Introduction to Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Banat Metropolitanate Publishing House, Timișoara, 1982, pp. 10–12; ‘An Original Manuscript by Grigore, Bishop of Argeș’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church, Year XXVl, (1903), nos. 2–3, p. 185; Ioanichie Bălan, Romanian Paterikon, Bucharest, 1980, p. 290; N. Iorga, History of the Romanian Church and the Religious Life of the Romanians, Vălenii de Munte, Neamul Românesc Press, 1909, p. 219; G. Potra, ‘On the Cultural Activity of Bishop Iosif of Argeș’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church, Year XCVI (1978), nos. 9–10, p. 1170; N. Șerbănescu, ‘The Bishops of Argeș’, in Mitropolia Olteniei, Year XVII (1965), nos. 7–8, p. 604; Virgil Molin, ‘Popa Tunsul of Saad, parish priest in Sânnicolaul Mare (1772–1782)’, in The Metropolis of Banat, Year XVII (1967), nos. 7–9, p. 482; Naționalul Vâlcii, Year X (1934), nos. 5–6, pp. 329–330.
- 13
The Situation of Vâlcea County in 1908, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Tipografia Modernă, 1908, p. 78.
- 14
Between 1910 and 1914, a new church was built in Voineasa, Vâlcea County, dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Hierarch.
- 15
Priest Ioan Cepăreanu was born on 12 February 1855 in the village of Cepari – Romanați. He attended primary school in his home village. He attended the lower seminary, first year. He was ordained on 10 March 1879 for the parish of Râmești. His wife died, as he is listed as a widower in 1898. He transferred from the parish of Râmești – Vâlcea to the parish of Voineasa, on the Lotru Valley, with effect from 1 July 1903.
- 16
Gheorghe N. Efrim, Brezoi: Pages of History, Sibiu, 2009, p. 73: “The dam was built of wood and stone, following the general system of log-cabin dams, and was 47 m long and 7 m high, measured from the riverbed to the crest. The crest elevation was 1,188.96 m above sea level. It had two sluice gates with openings of 3 m and 2 m respectively, each fitted with three rapid gates and two spillways for the passage of logs. The spillways could be closed off with horizontal beams up to the height of the crest.”