Archbishop Varsanufie

Studia Humanitatis No. II (XX) / 2025 The former Archangel Hermitage at Râmnic Prof. Dr. Florin Epure

The Archangel Hermitage on Priba Hill, on the outskirts of Râmnicu Vâlcea, is a monastic settlement first documented in 1490, founded by Jupan Stoica Vel Paharnic in 1522 and rebuilt on several occasions, including in 1725 by Archimandrite Petronie and in 1811–1817 by Sofronie Zlătăreanul. The article reconstructs its history through princely charters, inscriptions and Austrian sources, highlighting its role as a centre of culture and local administrative training.

Studia Humanitatis No. II (XII) / 2021 Bishop Antim Petrescu — the shortest tenure in the See of Râmnic (II) Rev. Dr. Laurențiu Rădoi

Bishop Antim Petrescu of Râmnic (1918–1919), elected in July 1918 and dismissed by government decree in November of the same year, carried out an intensive pastoral ministry in Oltenia, visiting parishes, supporting the construction and renovation of churches, and taking an active interest in the social issues facing the peasantry and war orphans, and leaving behind the memory of a self-sacrificing hierarch, as recalled by Nicolae Iorga, Gala Galaction and Archimandrite Iuliu Scriban.

Studia Humanitatis No. I (VIII) / 2019 The Spiritual Father, or On Friendship Dinu Săraru

The author reflects on the distinction between mere acquaintance and true friendship, recalling his bond spanning over six decades with the poet Adrian Păunescu and his more recent friendship with Archbishop Varsanufie of Râmnic, the spiritual father who inspired three of his new novels. The figure of Albert Camus and the work The First Man serve as a spiritual touchstone for a literary journey marked by loneliness, betrayals and creative solidarity.

Studia Humanitatis No. II (VI) / 2018 The Cross of Râmnic Dinu Săraru

Archbishop Dr Varsanufie of Râmnic has established the Cross of Râmnic award, intended to recognise contributions to the tradition of church-building, monasticism and scholarship within the Diocese of Vâlcea. The award commemorates the history of the Metropolis of Severin, founded in 1370, and the hierarch’s four years of ministry, marked by the establishment of eleven new monasteries and extensive restoration work.

Studia Humanitatis No. I (V) / 2018 The Fourth Renaissance of the Romanian Tabor Dinu Săraru

Arnota Monastery, founded in 1633 by Matei Basarab and hailed as the ‘Mount Tabor of Romanian Orthodoxy’, has undergone four phases of revival, the most recent of which began in January 2018 on the initiative of the abbess, Mother Stavroforă Ambrozia Rucăreanu, as part of a major restoration project coordinated by the architect Aurel Botez. The restoration work aims to uncover and restore the architectural ensemble to its former glory, linking this endeavour to the continuity of a great tradition of church-building embodied by Voivode Matei Basarab, the founder, amongst other things, of the Pravila of Govora.

Studia Humanitatis No. II (IV) / 2017 The historical resonance of a foundation Dinu Săraru

The article profiles Patriarch Justinian Marina, to whom the Romanian Orthodox Christian calendar for 2017 is dedicated, presenting him as the son of a peasant from Suiești, Oltenia, who, through diplomacy and wisdom, saved the institution of the Church during the communist era, securing recognition for priests as guardians of historical monuments and keeping ecclesiastical structures operational. The author records the consecration, by the Archdiocese of Râmnic, of a church, a monastery and a house-museum built in the patriarch’s native village, as the central event of the commemorative year.

Studia Humanitatis No. II (II) / 2016 An anthology Dinu Săraru

Saint Calinic of Cernica is portrayed as a senator and active politician in the General Assembly of Wallachia during the reign of Barbu Știrbei, based on archive material made available by Archbishop Varsanufie of Râmnic. His speech of March 1855 defends the Orthodox faith against atheism and proclaims union as the foundation of national invincibility.

Studia Humanitatis No. I (I) / 2016 A justification for a project born of passion and faith Dinu Săraru

The author recalls how, at the urging of the Archbishop of Râmnic, Dr Varsanufie, he began to explore the life of Saint Calinic of Cernica, bishop of Râmnic for nearly eighteen years, a supporter of the Union of the Principalities and of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, a statesman, a builder, a visionary and a model of patriotism within 19th-century Romanian Orthodoxy.

Colloquium No. I (I) / 2016 At the home of the Elder Gavriil of Mount Athos, the Abbot of the Cutlumuși Skete, the Venerable Hristodul of Karies

The monk Gherasim Prodromitul records an interview with Elder Gabriel of Mount Athos, conducted at the request of His Eminence Varsanufie, Archbishop of Râmnic. The Elder speaks of the spiritual decline of Athos, of the Venerable Paisios the Athonite, and offers exhortations to prayer, confession, fasting, almsgiving and repentance as the path to salvation in these times.

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